‘Dana White privilege’ is a myth.
Sean O’Malley claimed the UFC Bantamweight title last night at UFC 292 (Sat., Aug. 19, 2023) when he knocked Aljamain Sterling out in the second round from inside the TD Garden in Boston, Mass (watch highlights).
For several years now, mixed martial arts (MMA) fans have concluded that the UFC has protected O’Malley and given him the easy path to the title – whether it be fighting unranked fighters or getting a shot at Petr Yan when he was only ranked No. 11 in the world.
In other words, he has ‘Dana White privilege.’
But wait! According to the UFC president himself, that so-called privilege does not exist.
“Yeah, I mean, listen, ‘Dana White privilege.’ You don’t become number two in the world without earning it. I don’t pick that; you people do. He went in there and delivered tonight. There is no such thing as ‘Dana White privilege’ in this company,” White told reporters during the UFC 292 post-fight press conference. “They can do that type of sh—t in boxing…I’m not going to say that some people can’t catch some breaks sometimes. People are hurt; this or that happens. Certain matchups can’t happen at one time. You got a situation where Merb Dvalishvili won’t fight the champion. I mean, there are lots of different things that can happen, but it has nothing to do with us. It’s just the way that timing and everything else plays out. When you get to a title shot. You’ve earned it here.”
Indeed, one can argue whether ‘Dana White privilege’ is real. While O’Malley did earn the title shot with a win over Yan, he did sit out a year and got Sterling coming off a three-month turnaround.
Of course, Tony Ferguson is the one who came up with the infamous phrase when Michael Chandler was gifted a title shot in his second UFC fight.
Nevertheless, O’Malley is now the UFC bantamweight champion and is riding a five-fight win streak with a no-contest thrown in.
For complete UFC 292 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.