Dana White Wanted Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg In Cage Fight, Now He's On Meta's Board Of Directors

Dana White served as the matchmaker who wanted to make a cage fight between billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg a reality. While the fight didn't happen, White has now turned to helping one of the billionaires as a member of his company’s board of directors.

What Happened: White once said a cage fight between Musk and Zuckerberg could raise millions of dollars for charity.

"This would be the biggest fight ever in the history of the world. It would break all pay-per-view records," White previously said.

While the fight never happened, White is now tasked with helping Zuckerberg's company as he was named a member of the Meta Platforms META board of directors on Monday.

White, who is the CEO of the UFC said he makes "fights that people want to see." Now alongside his everyday job, White will help Meta usher in the new era of artificial intelligence.

"I've never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta's board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future," White said.

White said he's excited to learn more about Meta from the inside and to join the incredible team.

"There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level."

The appointment of White brings a Donald Trump ally closer to the social media executive and could create synergies between UFC and Meta. While Trump and Zuckerberg previously clashed over social media bans imposed on the former president, Zuckerberg recently met with Trump and donated to his inauguration fund.

The announcement of White joining the Meta board comes on the same day that WWE, which like UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings TKO, is set to make its live debut on streaming giant Netflix.

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Other Board Appointees: Alongside White, two other Meta board of directors appointees were announced Monday.

Exor CEO John Elkann and investor Charlie Songhurst were also announced as new Meta board members.

Exor, which is controlled by the Agnelli family, is one of the largest European investment companies, according to the press release. Elkann is the executive chairman of both Stellantis NV STLA and Ferrari NV RACE. Exor owns stakes in Stellantis, Ferrari, CNH, Phillips, Louboutin and Juventus Football Club.

"I look forward to bringing my global experience and long-term perspective to the board as Meta continues to shape and push the next frontiers of innovation and technology," Elkann said.

Songhurst is an investor specializing in the technology sector and startups. He previously worked at Microsoft helping with partnerships and M&A.

"As part of Meta's advisory group, I've seen firsthand the opportunities to scale new products and grow AI and enterprise capabilities," Songhurst said.

Zuckerberg highlighted the AI opportunity in Monday's announcement.

"Dana, John and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables and the future of human connection," Zuckerberg said.

META Price Action: Meta stock closed Monday up 4.23% to $630.20 versus a 52-week trading range of $352.05 to $638.40. Meta shares were up 0.66% to $634.35 in after-hours trading. The stock is up 76% over the past year.

TKO shares traded higher on news of the announcement in the after-hours trading market before returning to the $141.63 level it closed at Monday at the time of writing.

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