Dana White's controversial mental health advice for men sparks backlash: ‘Don’t show weakness’

Dana White sparked fresh toxic masculinity debates after his past remarks on men’s mental health surfaced earlier this month.

Dana White appeared on the cover of TIME ahead of next month’s Freedom 250 event at the White House. Much of the feature focused on the upcoming card and White’s influence during Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, with Trump crediting the UFC boss for helping connect him to popular podcast appearances before the election.

UFC CEO Dana White had become part of wider debates around toxic masculinity after his comments on men’s mental health surfaced earlier. (Action Images via Reuters)

However, White also reaffirmed his stance on men discussing mental health struggles, arguing that it does not align with his view of masculinity.

“Talking about it (mental health) publicly, I just feel like it opens the door to make young men think that it’s OK to just f*cking go, ‘Oh, I’m having mental [health issues],’” UFC CEO said.

He added that he believes such struggles should be handled privately rather than publicly, arguing that openly discussing them can reveal a person’s weaknesses to others. “Handle it behind closed doors. Don’t show that weakness to anybody,” White explained.

Dana White’s controversial remarks on men’s mental health

The 56-year-old had become part of wider debates around toxic masculinity after his previous comments on men’s mental health surfaced earlier this month.

“I hate this whole men’s mental health bulls— that they talk about. Unfortunately, when you’re a man, you are the provider. You are the one that takes care of your family. You know, you are the example for your kids when they grow up — and your sons, you know, and your daughters,” he had said while opposing the idea of men openly sharing emotional struggles on social media.

However, this time White directly addressed the term “toxic masculinity,” distancing his views from that label while also rejecting the idea that such a concept truly exists. White questioned, “What is toxic masculinity? Who has it? Who’s too masculine?”

After the reporter argued that masculinity can become toxic when it leads to unnecessary violence, White replied, “Then you’re a douchebag. There’s a difference between being a douchebag and being masculine.”

Key details revealed for UFC Freedom 250 card

Dana White revealed several new details about the upcoming Freedom 250 event, including plans to feature the national anthem before the fights. something rarely seen during UFC broadcasts. He also shared that 1,200 of the 4,300 seats set up on the White House lawn will be reserved for active military personnel.

He acknowledged the criticism over the lack of women’s fights on the card and revealed the UFC had tried to book a strawweight title clash between Mackenzie Dern and Zhang Weili.

However, plans could not move forward because Weili is currently taking time away from competition, according to White.

The June 14 card will be headlined by Ilia Topuria defending the featherweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira is set to move up to heavyweight to take on Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship.