On Thursday, Dana White got into his latest tense interaction with a reporter during the pre-fight press conference ahead of Saturday\u2019s first-ever event put on by Zuffa Boxing, headlined by the super fight between Canelo \u00c1lvarez and Terence Crawford. And even though the reporter in question, Sean Zittel, didn\u2019t get the answers he was looking for from White, Ariel Helwani gave Zittel his props for asking the hard questions others wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
When Zittel got the chance to ask questions to White, he challenged White<\/a> on Zuffa Boxing\u2019s efforts to amend the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMy question to you is, why do you want to make sweeping changes to the Muhammad Ali Reform Act?\u201d asked Zittel. \u201cWhich is meant to protect fighters, to bring about a business model that currently has your company already paying out $375 million in anti-trust lawsuits, and has two potential pending class-action lawsuits on the way as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Zittel would ultimately not receive an answer, with White instead asking Zittel to \u201cset up an interview\u201d with him to discuss that topic. But Zittel wouldn\u2019t back down, prompting White to call him a \u201ca**hole\u201d who was \u201cshowboating\u201d for the fans in attendance.<\/p>\n \u203c\ufe0f Canelo Alvarez: \u201cFight! Fight! Fight!\u201d \ud83d\ude2d#BrunchBoxing<\/a> @Sean_Zittel<\/a> @danawhite<\/a>\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Q4fuanzPSS<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Brunch Boxing (@BrunchBoxing) September 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n This is, of course, far from White\u2019s first public spat with a reporter. And perhaps his most famous rival in the media, Ariel Helwani, spoke out on social media against White upon seeing his personal attacks on Zittel for simply asking a reasonable question about the future of the sport of boxing.<\/p>\n \u201cDana\u2019s interpretation of media doing its job is \u2018showboating\u2019 and \u2018being an asshole,\u2019 which is laughable,\u201d wrote Helwani in a post on X. \u201cThis is not a new stance, btw. It\u2019s just been a very long time since real questions were asked at these pressers.\u201d<\/p>\n Dana\u2019s interpretation of media doing its job is \u201cshowboating\u201d and \u201cbeing an asshole,\u201d which is laughable.<\/p>\n This is not a new stance, btw. It\u2019s just been a very long time since real questions were asked at these pressers.<\/p>\n Kudos, @Sean_Zittel<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/GPxjLcQZNd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Helwani\u2019s contentious relationship with White has been highly documented. White famously banned Helwani for life from receiving UFC press credentials<\/a> back in 2016 after Helwani broke the news of Brock Lesnar\u2019s return to the UFC before the company was able to. And despite the decision later being uplifted, White and Helwani have had a contentious relation<\/a> ever since.<\/p>\n Helwani has been unafraid to call out White and the UFC on several different fronts, most notably when it comes to fighter pay<\/a>. So it\u2019s not exactly a surprise to see how someone like Helwani would naturally have a great deal of respect for anybody questioning White\u2019s motives in Zuffa Boxing\u2019s new venture into boxing.<\/p>\n Interestingly, White\u2019s interaction with Zittel was not the only controversy to come ahead of Zuffa Boxing\u2019s inaugural event on Saturday that Helwani can relate to.<\/p>\n According to BoxingScene, one of its reporters, Lance Pugmire, was denied accreditation for Saturday\u2019s event<\/a>, which reportedly comes due to Pugmire\u2019s \u201cstrained relationship with multiple stakeholders\u201d involved in deciding the credentialed media.<\/p>\n So while Saturday\u2019s event may very well be a highly anticipated one for fans, it has not been overly kind to the media on several different fronts.<\/p>\n \t
\ud83c\udfa5 MUST WATCH: FIERY exchange between Dana White and highly-respected boxing reporter Sean Zittel after White dodges question about TKO\u2019s attempt to kill the Muhammad Ali Act. \ud83d\ude33<\/p>\n