UFC CEO Dana White has dismissed Oscar De La Hoya’s claim that he skipped the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn bout to avoid public humiliation, comparing the dispute to a past ticket snub he suffered from Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 34.
Dana White Denies Setup Allegations Following Oscar De La Hoya Absence
When Ryan Garcia stepped into the ring to face Conor Benn at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, his promoter was conspicuously absent from ringside. Garcia ultimately secured a dominant second-round TKO victory to retain his WBC title on September 12, 2026. While Golden Boy Promotions co-promoted the card alongside Zuffa Boxing and The Ring, Oscar De La Hoya stayed away from the venue entirely.
Rumors immediately surfaced suggesting that Zuffa Boxing had blocked De La Hoya from entering the building. Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported that De La Hoya was denied a credential for the event. De La Hoya later fueled the fire, telling Fight Hub TV that he made the deliberate choice to stay home rather than walk into a trap.
“I wasn’t going to show up to be embarrassed. It was a Zuffa f***ing event. A ‘Zuffa event,’ a ‘Turki event.’ I was not going to show up and be embarrassed, because that’s exactly what they were going to do to me. I was not going to do that. So I made the wise decision to not go.”
Oscar De La Hoya, via Fight Hub TV
Speaking to reporters following an episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, Dana White firmly rejected the notion of any coordinated setup. The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO made it clear that while their mutual animosity is real, he handles business differently.
“Let me explain something to you: I do not like De La Hoya, and De La Hoya does not like me. I would never disrespect him and say, ‘Oh, if he shows up here, we treat him like sh*t.’ I would call him on the phone and say, ‘Hey, don’t f*cking show up to this event because we’re not going to treat you well.’ That was not the case. Why he didn’t show up, I don’t know.”
Dana White, via MMA Junkie
The leader of Golden Boy Promotions has frequently criticized the Zuffa chief regarding his management of UFC bouts, and consistently opposed White’s initiatives to amend the Muhammad Ali Act. De La Hoya also claimed members of his team were disrespected in the lead-up to the fight. Asked about allegations that Golden Boy staff were denied their contractual privileges, White suggested that De La Hoya direct those complaints toward Turki Alalshikh, the co-owner of Zuffa Boxing.
The Vince McMahon Ticket Snub at WrestleMania 34
To illustrate why he would never engineer a public humiliation for an adversary, White pointed to a past experience involving former WWE chairman Vince McMahon. Recalling his trip to New Orleans for Ronda Rousey’s professional wrestling debut at WrestleMania 34 in 2018, White described arriving at will call only to find his access abruptly revoked.
“It happened to me. Vince McMahon did it to me for Ronda’s first wrestling match. I showed up at will call — I flew to f*cking New Orleans, showed up at will call, and they said, ‘Oh, we have no tickets for you.’ I said, ‘Ah shit.’ I started making some phone calls; they end up getting me tickets, I’m in the f*cking bleachers. I’ve been through all that. I wouldn’t do that to even an enemy; I wouldn’t do that.”
Dana White, via MMA Fighting
White noted that Oscar De La Hoya did indeed have valid tickets waiting for him, though they were located in the celebrity VIP section rather than a traditional promoter ringside seat. According to the UFC executive, those arrangements were clearly communicated in advance.
Ryan Garcia Reacts to His Promoter’s Absence
While the promotional brass traded public barbs, the fighter caught in the middle voiced his own disappointment over the empty seat. Ryan Garcia explained that he had planned a memorable entrance for fight night alongside his promoter.
“I thought he was going to be here. They told me that he had a seat, and I actually invited him to walk out with me. I thought that was going to be iconic, everyone asking where he was, and then just to have him walk out with me would’ve been special. But it is what it is. It didn’t happen.”
Ryan Garcia, via MMA Junkie
Golden Boy representative Jane Murcia later clarified via social media that Garcia’s team ultimately withdrew the ring walk invitation on the morning of the fight.
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