Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals the 'cold-blooded' side of Dana White few people see

Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken out to reveal exactly what it's like working with UFC boss Dana White.

There can be no doubt that former lightweight champion Nurmagomedov is both one of the greatest and influential UFC fighters of all time.

The Russian was the longest-reigning UFC lightweight Champion ever, having held the title from April 2018 to March 2021, and retired having never lost any of his 29 fights.

Now, Nurmagomedov remains a huge name in the sport, training several fighters throughout the roster, including current welterweight and former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Throughout his time both fighting and working alongside the UFC, Nurmagomedov has maintained a close relationship with the organisation's president and CEO, White.

And when reflecting on his relationship with White, the former UFC champion likened him to an Italian mafia boss, saying his ability to separate personal relationships and the business was vital to the UFC's huge success.

“[Dana] is very good at separating business and personal relationships,” Nurmagomedov told the Lex Fridman podcast.

“For him, they will never overlap. He draws a clear line between them. In business, he’s extremely cold-blooded. He’s made some major decisions regardless of whether people like him or not. Those decisions were best for the UFC.

He always had that mentality from those mafia movies where family comes first. Well, for him, the UFC always came first. That’s the only way he was able to push that brand forward."

He added: "Of course, a lot of people contributed to that… There were a lot of things that made the UFC unique, but the cherry on top was always Dana.”

How much is the UFC worth in 2026?

White officially took over at the UFC back in 2001, when he purchased the fight organisation alongside billionaire brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta for $2million.

Now, the UFC is valued at a staggering $11.3billion, and just started a seven-year broadcast deal with Paramount worth $7.7bn.

“Dana White did an incredible job of promoting the UFC, and he still does. No matter what, the UFC is still [on top]. No matter how unsuccessful a particular event might be, the UFC is still the UFC," Nurmagomedov added.

"When they go to a new market outside of the United States, even if the show doesn’t go so well, people will still come back for the next event simply because it’s the UFC.

“Over the last 30+ years, they have established themselves as the premier MMA league in the world, and they put on the best fights. In that respect, I think a huge part of the credit goes to Dana. The fact that the UFC has come this far is a major achievement.

“A lot of people have money, and a lot of people have tried. Many have come in, but building what the UFC have built is extremely hard. What they’ve achieved now with Paramount, it’s a unique achievement.

“In just 30 years, they’ve grown to a level that some entire sports needed 100 or 150 years to reach. You have to give credit where it’s due, and that credit goes to one person, Dana White. I think that his genius as a promoter, that is just remarkable.”

Of course, UFC legends like Nurmagomedov, and historic rival Conor McGregor, as well as current stars like Makhachev, who defends his welterweight title in a fight with Ian Garry at UFC 330 this weekend, have also played a vital role in the UFC's meteoric rise and continued success.