The crossover between sports and politics is undeniable in the UFC. From Dana White’s close relationship with Donald Trump to fighters openly sharing their political views, fans have seen countless instances where the two worlds intersect. However, former 170lbs title challenger Jake Shields recently called out what he perceived as favoritism within the promotion. While reviewing a list of scheduled fights, he noticed the removal of a particular national flag—leading him to accuse the UFC of being selectively biased towards current 170lbs gold standard Belal Muhammad.

Muhammad, a proud representative of Palestine, is set to defend his title at UFC 315. Among those keeping an eye on the event is the former Strikeforce champion, who recently browsed the card and noticed something that didn’t sit right with him. While scrolling through the scheduled bouts, Shields came across Muhammad’s main event bout against Jack Della Maddalena and was quick to point out a glaring omission—Muhammad’s Palestinian flag was nowhere to be seen. Frustrated by what he saw as a clear double standard, Shields lashed out at the UFC, accusing the promotion of bias. His criticism didn’t stop there, as he also aimed TKO Group Holdings’ CEO, Ari Emanuel, launching into a controversial tirade over the apparent censorship.

However, Dana White quickly responded, suggesting that Shields might be directing his frustration at the wrong target. The promotion’s leadership reminded him that a major shift in ownership is set to take place by the end of the first quarter of 2025. Silver Lake, a private equity firm that already holds a majority stake in Endeavor, is in the process of acquiring 100% of the total outstanding shares. Once the deal is finalized, Silver Lake will take full control of the UFC.

“The UFC is owned by Silver Lake,” the head honcho replied to Shields, implying that any perceived omissions or decisions regarding the flag may fall under the incoming ownership rather than the current leadership. This is important considering that the UFC 315 event is scheduled to take place on May 10 (post-first quarter of 2025) in Montreal.

The deal which White was talking about was made public last year. “Since 2012, Endeavor’s strategic partnership with Silver Lake and Egon Durban has been central to our evolution into the global sports and entertainment leader we are today,” Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel said in a press release in 2024. “We believe this transaction will maximize value for all of Endeavor’s public stockholders and are excited to continue to unlock and invest in the growth opportunities ahead as a private company.”

The deal is estimated to be around in the ballpark of $12-13 billion. So, will Jake Shields question the new owners now? That remains to be seen.

The snubbing of the flag could be an error, or maybe not, but why Belal Muhammad? Is he in Dana White’s bad books? Well, there has been a longstanding belief that the boss doesn’t necessarily have the best impression of Muhammad as a UFC champion. These speculations hit the CEO even harder after ‘Remember the Name’s title win at UFC 304, but the 55-year-old shut all those murmurs down.

Does Dana White dislike Belal Muhammad?

UFC 304 wasn’t the most exciting PPV Dana White and his matchmaking team have ever set up. The CEO was vocal as he ripped the whole event, the fighters, and even vowed never to increase fight bonuses ever again. But what caught the attention of the whole community online was a picture that showed White looking not-so-happy moments before putting on the belt around the waist of the newly crowned welterweight champ, Belal Muhammad.

However, the 55-year-old would break his silence and claim that there were a lot of reasons that left him feeling a bit down that night in the UK, but the Palestinian-American star was not one of them.

“Let me say this: to be fair, I was tired,” White told veteran MMA journalist Kevin Iole. “I was in a bad mood. I was, you know, at that press conference, and you know it depends on when you catch me. Everybody thinks that I don’t like Belal, stuff posted that like, ‘Dana is going to commit sui—e right now because Leon [lost].’ That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

Despite what people think about Dana White’s perception of Belal Muhammad, the champion has continued to flourish in the UFC, and as he makes his first title defense in a few months, he will have a chance to prove that he’s indeed the real deal in the welterweight division.