Dana White Roasted After Claiming Dublin Is in the UK
Dana White had an awkward answer when asked why Zuffa Boxing 10 did not feature ring card girls in Dublin, Ireland, and fight fans quickly pointed out that his explanation did not add up.
White joined Nina Drama during her ringside coverage at 3Arena on Saturday, August 8. When she asked, “Where are the ring card girls?” and said she did not know which round the fight was in, the UFC CEO replied: “Don’t even get me started. The UK won’t use ring card girls unless you have ring card boys.”
There were no ring card girls or ring card boys at the event. The clip spread quickly, but viewers had two immediate issues with the explanation. First, Zuffa Boxing 10 took place in Dublin, which is in the Republic of Ireland, not the United Kingdom. The card fell under the Boxing Union of Ireland rather than the British Boxing Board of Control.
“Ok Boomer” Dana White Dragged Over Dublin Comment at Zuffa Boxing 10
Then came the second problem: ring card girls remain common at boxing events across the UK, and there is no established British Boxing Board of Control rule requiring promoters to employ male card holders alongside them. Major British promoters have used ring card girls for years, while Frank Warren’s card at the same Dublin venue a week earlier also included them.
White did not name the authority, venue policy, broadcaster policy, or employment rule that supposedly led Zuffa Boxing to leave the role out of the production. There also appears to be no published Zuffa Boxing or policy that creates the “ring card boys” requirement he described. Even more odd, the UFC has held events in both the UK and Ireland with only ring girls.
The exchange became even stranger because it happened during Zuffa’s first event in Ireland, headlined by Aaron McKenna’s successful bid for the vacant IBF middleweight title. McKenna beat Italy’s Etinosa Oliha by unanimous decision, with scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112, to move to 21-0 and hand Oliha his first pro loss.
Fans did not need long to turn the moment into a geography lesson. Replies focused on the fact that White appeared to treat Dublin as part of the UK, with jokes ranging from “Dublin is in Ireland, not the UK” to the simpler verdict: “Ok Boomer.” One widely shared response noted that Ireland left the UK in 1921.
One user added “f-cking dumbass egg head The Republic Of Ireland is not the UK.” Another said “So, not only doesn’t Dana know Boxing, he has now added Geography to the list. Beyond embarrassing.” Plus, “Dublin isn’t in the UK…and even if they were in the UK, the shit he said about ring card girls is literally just a lie.”
The lack of ring card holders did not affect the boxing, but White’s five-second explanation became one of the event’s biggest talking points. For a promotion looking to build momentum in Ireland and Britain, a basic distinction between Dublin and the UK would have helped.
