Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
As the UFC’s parent company Endeavor begins its round of layoffs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dana White says none of his employees are going anywhere.
As the entire world comes to a pause due to the COVID-19, the loss of revenue all around has caused a string of layoffs in the United States alone. The UFC’s parent company Endeavor is apparently one of them.
A report by Deadline revealed that 250 of Endeavor’s employees are being let go. These are said to be “operational roles” across the company in which employees “cannot perform their jobs from home.”
In the letter sent by co-CEO Ari Emmanual on Wednesday, the company is exerting efforts to keep the business afloat while trying to suppress the need to lay off any more employees.
“We are in the process of assessing our operations globally to develop a plan that will protect the business while limiting the impact on as many employees as possible,” Emanuel wrote (via MMA Fighting). “In addition to the cost-cutting efforts outlined a few weeks ago, we will be implementing a number of additional measures beginning this week and through April that will affect compensation and some jobs across the company.
“The effects on each business will vary, and you will receive more specifics from your respective leaders, to the extent any of these decisions may impact you. As part of this, (co-CEO) Patrick (Whitesell) and I will not be taking a salary for the remainder of 2020.”
From his end, Dana White has been insistent about keeping each and everyone of his employees. So when a supposed report about the company doing their own round of layoffs came out, the UFC president shut it down and fired back with guns blazing.
Haha, Dana was live on Instagram and went off on a journalist who made a thread ful of lies about the UFC. About who is he talking? Luke Thomas? pic.twitter.com/AyXYM5jcPT
— Crack Hardly (@CrackHardly) March 25, 2020
“Most of what you read is not true. Literally, these scumbags write lies,” White said in a recent Instagram live session. “And this guy was gloating about it and saying stuff like, ‘Hey Dana, you have bosses now and you should check with them…’ No, I don’t. You don’t know anything about this f—ng situation, and you definitely know nothing about the sport, you jerk off.
“I said it before, you piece of sh-t, nobody will lose their job at the UFC,” he reiterated. “Nobody’s getting laid off, it’s not gonna happen. The other side of Endeavor laid some people off. I’m not laying anybody off. It’s not gonna happen.”
White recently went on a tirade against the MMA media, who’s been criticizing him for wanting to push through with UFC 249.