It would be wholly unrealistic to think Dana White is familiar with all 700 fighters on the UFC roster, but as the CEO and face of the company, surely he knows who all of the top-ranked contenders are – right?
That's up for debate after Thursday's UFC 333 press conference in Abu Dhabi.
During a Q&A portion of the event, No. 4-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov stepped up to the microphone to ask featherweight champion Alexander Volkonovski a question about how to become UFC champ. After a brief playful exchange, Volkov continued on with White, who appeared to not recognize the 10-year UFC veteran who fights on Saturday's main card against No. 5 Rizvan Kuniev.
"What should I do to become a UFC champion?" Volkov asked.
"How many fights do you have?" White responded in a normal tone.
"Fifty-one total and 20 in UFC," Volkov answered.
At this point, Volkonovski, sensing White didn't recognize Volkov, stood up from his chair and spoke into White's ear trying to clue him in. The back-and-forth continued with White asking Volkov his age and what he wanted.
"So what are you looking for? What do you need, sir? How can we help you?" White asked.
It ended moments later with White laughing at the situation, as if he knew it was Volkov all along.
You can watch the scene unfold in the video above.
Did Dana White really not recognize Alexander Volkanovski?
While White eventually played it off, he initially seemed to take Volkov's questions seriously, casting doubt about whether or not he truly knew it was one of the top heavyweights in the UFC.
Fans and MMA media members chimed in with harsh reactions on social media.
"He couldn’t even recognize his own fighter, who’s on Saturday’s main card, has been with the company for a decade, and is a top contender," MMA Junkie's Danny Segura wrote on X. "You can’t make this sh*t up."
"This is the funniest sh*t that has ever happened at a UFC press conference," MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew wrote on X. "Dana clearly has no idea this is Volkov, and even after Volkanovski clues him in, still 50/50 whether he understood."
Wrote Robert Joyner on X, "Mentally, Dana was back in Vegas playing blackjack in his head, had no clue who Volkov was."
Dana White continues to look out of touch with UFC
White, who's served as UFC chief for 25 years, this year has come under fire from fans and media who say he is mentally "checked out" of MMA as he diverts much of his attention to Zuffa Boxing, Power Slap, and his own personal business dealings.
The awkward exchange with Volkov on Thursday came just a few weeks after White struggled to speak intelligently about Wang Cong at the UFC 332 press conference just two days before
White struggled to speak intelligently about Wang Cong at the UFC 332 press conference ahead of her headlining the fight card against Natalia Silva for the women's flyweight title. In a media scrum with reporters following the press conference, White confused Cong's resume with Silva's, fueling critics who have said he's out of touch with the UFC.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White appears to not recognize top UFC contender during awkward press conference moment