Dana White testified Wednesday as part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against the UFC.
Under oath for over two-and-a-half hours in Nevada Federal District Court, White answered questions from lawyers representing a class of former UFC fighters, as Judge Richard Boulware chimed in with his own inquiries periodically.
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The questioning of White and fellow UFC executive Tracy Long centered around potential spoliation. The plaintiffs asserted the defendants submitted an incomplete production of chat documents after years of ongoing litigation hold.
White and Long were questioned repeatedly about their roles in the company, the types of communications they have/had, the applications they use/used, who they corresponded with and why, and where missing messages could have gone.
White painted a picture of himself as not being the most tech savvy, unsure of specific in-app functions, and saying he let his assistants handle phone upgrades and app installations. If it weren’t for previous court orders requiring him to use a smartphone, White said he’d still use a flip phone, which he plans to return to post-lawsuit.
Dana White and Hunter Campbell, UFC 319 ceremonial weigh-ins
White peels back curtain on day-to-day
Plaintiff attorney Michael Dell’Angelo asked White whether or not he conducted business with fighters through the various messaging apps, as White apparently did with Jeremy Stephens over WhatsApp, shown in one exhibit.
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White repeatedly denied doing any substantial business that way and said his days of negotiating fighter contracts are long gone. White said he defers to Hunter Campbell, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby, and will redirect fighters their way if they come calling.
“You won’t find one manager on this planet who will tell you I’ve negotiated a deal in I don’t know how long,” White said.
White said it’s largely been that way since Campbell joined the matchmaking team in the timeframe of 2017.
A missing iPhone 11 – and an alleged thief
White admitted to using several cell phones since the litigation hold. He said he’d give his old phones to UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell for safekeeping once he was done with them.
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One phone, however, has gone missing, White acknowledged. White said he didn’t know exactly where it went, but presented a theory.
According to White, a former UFC employee (whom he called “a runner”) was fired for stealing various items from the company. White added that the person was a relative of Ari Emanuel.
White said he first became suspicious when a baseball championship ring he was sent from a Little League team went missing, then company Christmas presents vanished.
UFC security reviewed tapes and determined who the culprit was. White suspects his missing iPhone 11 was also subject to theft and denied destroying any correspondence.
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Long gets questioned
Following White’s testimony, UFC vice president of athlete compliance and regulatory Tracy Long was questioned.
The lines of questioning were somewhat similar, with attorneys repeatedly asking Long about her role in the UFC-athlete contract negotiations.
Exchanges between Long and the matchmakers pertaining to fighters and their contracts were referenced. Examples included a conversation about frustration with champion Ilia Topuria and his representation, First Round Management, regarding tardy paperwork submissions, as well as a clarification with Mick Maynard about the UFC’s allowance to let signee Artem Vakhitov return to kickboxing.
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Long denied being directly involved in fighter negotiations, but admitted to having correspondence with managers and athletes, as she is the one who prepares promotional agreements. Long said she documented messages with screenshots, which she stored digitally and with a hard copy.
Judge Boulware asked Long about missing text messages. Long denied deleting any messages and said she had attempted to see if she could recover them through Verizon, but was put on a lengthy hold.
Sean Shelby and Hunter Campbell, UFC 316 ceremonial weigh-in faceoff
To be continued… tomorrow
Campbell will testify Thursday, as will UFC employees Elliott Howard (White’s videographer) and Eric Yee (a social media manager).
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Boulware also told UFC attorney Colby Williams it’s possible he may have to testify in the future, due to both White and Long saying they felt they followed sufficient procedures for the litigation hold and document forfeiture.
The session begins at 9 a.m. local time and MMA Junkie will provide updates.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White testifies in UFC antitrust case about missing cell phone
