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Dana White booed at WrestleMania 41 in painfully awkward moment amid celebrity-filled night

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Key highlights
  • UFC CEO Dana White received a hostile reception from wrestling fans at WrestleMania 41, with loud boos echoing through Allegiant Stadium.
  • Despite the recent merger uniting UFC and WWE under TKO Group Holdings, White's appearance, intended to showcase the partnership, highlighted a disconnect with the wrestling audience.
  • Dana White, a known supporter of Donald Trump, appeared visibly uncomfortable, initially raising his hand before forcing a smile in response to the negative reaction from the 61,000 attendees.
UFC CEO Dana White faced an unexpected and hostile reception from wrestling fans on Saturday night as he attended the first night of WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The 55-year-old executive, a close ally of United States President Donald Trump, was visibly uncomfortable when his appearance on the venue's big screens was met with a chorus of boos from the 61,000 fans in attendance.
Dana White's uncomfortable WrestleMania moment highlights fan sentimentDespite the 2023 merger that saw both WWE and UFC fall under the TKO Group Holdings umbrella for more than $17 billion, the merger has received a hostile reception. The intention was for White to sit in the front row to show the partnership between the two combat sports giants, but instead, it showed a disconnect with the wrestling audience.

Dana White has spoken at the Republican National Convention three years in a row and was at Mar-a-Lago on election night. He also spoke at a closed-door event before Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, where he praised a “historic victory.”


The crowd booed, and Dana White initially responded with a raised hand before forcing an awkward smile, adopting a look of surprise and seeming to adopt a “what can I do?” sort of look. It is reported that he was treated in the same manner when he was shown on screen a second time during the evening.
Star-studded WrestleMania 41 delivers championship changes and shocking momentsDespite the awkward moment involving Dana White, the first night of WrestleMania 41 delivered plenty of action for fans watching live and on Netflix. Seth Rollins emerged victorious in the dramatic main event triple threat match that also featured Roman Reigns and CM Punk, with Paul Heyman's shocking heel turn providing the night's biggest surprise.

Other celebrities in attendance included former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, musicians Lil Yachty and Jelly Roll, producer Rick Rubin, comedian Michael Che, and NFL star George Kittle.

Also Read: Tom Aspinall calls Jon Jones a “strange guy”- as UFC title fight hangs in limbo

The two-night extravaganza continues Sunday with John Cena challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the second night's main event.
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