From donating $50,000 to a person who needed the money for a liver transplant to donating a million dollars to the victims of the wildfires in Hawaii, Dana White has helped many people out. However, it appears that his promotion may have backtracked on a promise, as per a recent confession from a known figure in the grappling world.
Ben Kovacs, an entrepreneur and martial arts practitioner, has been associated with Jiu-Jitsu for almost two decades. After earning his black belt in 2019, Kovacs was inspired to create a non-profit initiative by the name of the Guardian Project. This initiative, aimed at giving children Jiu-Jitsu training, has 500 children enrolled in the program and has provided support to as many as 27 academies.
During an appearance on the ‘FloGrappling Podcast’, Kovacs revealed there have been some key figures in the martial arts sphere who’ve shown genuine support for his cause and the students who are enrolled in his non-profit initiative. One among the bunch is BJJ star Craig Jones, whom Ben Kovacs had full praise for, but the situation isn’t the same with Dana White’s promotion.
“One of the coolest things I saw with Craig is when he went to Peru, he actually started following one of the kids featured in the episode on Instagram and started DMing him back and forth,” Ben Kovacs revealed. “He’s legitimately friends with this 17-year-old kid who was one of the first kids in the program. He’s not just doing it for a PR stunt.”
The founder of the Guardian Project then turned his attention to Dana White and the UFC, who did meet up with them once, and even interacted with the children who were getting Jiu-Jitsu training. Ben Kovacs revealed that the UFC execs would step up themselves and promise him to donate some money, which never happened, and he sounded quite disappointed with that.
“They [the UFC] came to visit Guardian in LA, brought the fighters, took some photos – and as soon as it was over, they said: ‘Oh, we’re going to make a donation,’” Ben Kovacs added. “And then they never did. They just ghosted. It was a PR stunt.”
PowerSlap 12 LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 7, 2025 : Dana White with the fans at Fontaine Bleu for PowerSlap 12 on March 7, 2025 in Las Vegas, NV, United States. Photo by Louis Grasse/PXimages Las Vegas, NV Fontaine Bleu LAS VEGAS, NV United States Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
There’s no documented instance of Dana White failing to live up to a promise of donating money, and we will have to wait and see if he responds to these claims by Ben Kovacs. This would be uncharacteristic of the UFC CEO, who donated money after learning about a person’s medical issues just a few months ago. Let’s take a look at that front.
Dana White recently dished out $50,000 for a cancer-stricken patient
During the UFC 311 press conference, Jiri Prochazka came into the event with his head shaved. While fans were wondering if that was his new look, the former light heavyweight champion claimed that he had shaved his head in solidarity with a person suffering from cancer. The patient, a girl named Ashly McGarity, revealed details about her health problems on social media, which caught Prochazka’s attention after Ariel Helwani told him during an interview.
As such, Jiri Prochazka not only cut his hair but also donated 1 million Czech Koruna, which is equivalent to somewhere over $45,000 for Ashly McGarity’s treatment. When Dana White learned about the cancer patient during the pre-event presser, he wasted no time, as he declared that he’ll donate another $50,000 from his pocket, with the crowd in attendance roaring following his announcement. “I’ll match the $50,000. [It will be around] $100,000 [in total],” said the 55-year-old promoter.
With Dana White showing no hesitation in helping out a patient in need, it’s hard to believe that he had backtracked on his promise to the Jiu-Jitsu non-profit initiative. What do you think? Let us know in the comments down below.
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