UFC CEO and president Dana White was reportedly booed at WrestleMania 41. Ex-UFC star and MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen soon chimed in on it, making a major claim about the crowd’s reaction to White at the WWE event.
Chael Sonnen’s Claim About Dana White’s at WrestleMania 41
For years, the UFC has been regarded as the premier MMA organization, whereas the WWE has long been regarded as the top professional wrestling-based sports entertainment organization. In 2023, the UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, acquired the WWE. A UFC-WWE merger ensued under the umbrella of a new entity, TKO Group Holdings.
A notable instance of the deepening of the UFC-WWE bond was UFC boss White’s recent appearance on the inaugural episode of WWE personality Stephanie McMahon’s podcast, “What’s Your Story?”
White, who’d criticized the WWE and pro wrestling several years ago, also served as a voiceover artist/narrator for a promotional video for the WWE’s annual WrestleMania event. Lending his voice to promote WrestleMania 41 — a two-day event spanning April 19 to April 20, 2025 — he even referenced his own longstanding connection with Las Vegas, Nev.
Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 transpired at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., as will its second night. Alluding to the beauty of the Mojave Desert’s Paradise and Vegas, White suggested that Vegas is a place that beckons the bold, drawing those who dare to dream. The 55-year-old mentioned the likes of music icons like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, as well as boxing legend Mike Tyson.
Moreover, White implied that Vegas has hosted various sporting events and has been home to the UFC organization he’s long spearheaded. He added, “And it’s why it feels so right as a setting for this [WrestleMania], for the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment to return to the grandest stage on the globe. Because this cultural phenomenon, this annual wonder, is also a vision made real.
“How it’s evolved over time from a two-hour program to a two-night experience; how it’s grown from an arena show to a stadium marvel; and for the first time in more than three decades, it all comes back here.
“An event where all who come down that ramp, and who enter that ring, carry their own dreams to make their vision real and their hope true. Where else, but Las Vegas? Where else, but a place called Paradise? Where else, but f***ing WrestleMania?”
The aforementioned video promo, featuring White’s voiceover, drew mixed reactions from the professional wrestling, MMA, and broader pop culture realms. Speculation abounded that the promo elicited boos from the fans in attendance at the Allegiant Stadium during WrestleMania 41.
Taking to social media, many netizens claimed that White was shown on-screen multiple times and was booed by the fans. An X post put forth by MMA Mania also made an allusion to the alleged incident. However, retired MMA great Chael Sonnen responded to the X post and indicated that the UFC personality wasn’t booed.
Sonnen wrote, “I was there. This did not happen.”
I was there. This did not happen. https://t.co/aXSkS2D2um
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) April 20, 2025