Dana White told TIME that Zuckerberg is a bigger killer than Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan, and explained exactly why

UFC CEO Dana White has named Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg the most intensely competitive person he has ever encountered, ranking him above sports icons including Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan. The comments came during a recent interview with TIME magazine, where White laid out his reasoning in detail. As first reported by BroBible, White’s admiration centers on Zuckerberg’s relentless drive rather than any single achievement.

White said he has a natural affinity for what he calls “killers,” a term he uses to describe supremely competitive, high-achieving individuals. He said Zuckerberg is “the biggest killer” he has ever met, placing him ahead of Jordan, Tyson, and others he has encountered throughout his career. The bond between the two has developed steadily over recent years, largely through a shared enthusiasm for mixed martial arts.

White has also pushed back against the perception of Zuckerberg as a tech figure with no physical edge. He argued that Zuckerberg trains MMA and surfs regularly, and that people who dismiss him on those grounds would be making a mistake. That defense has become a recurring theme whenever White is asked about the Meta CEO publicly.

White sees Zuckerberg’s hunger as the defining quality

What stands out most to White is not Zuckerberg’s past success but his ongoing appetite for more. White told TIME that the level of wealth and achievement Zuckerberg has accumulated has not slowed him down in the slightest. He described Zuckerberg as someone who monitors every person working on every project within his company and is constantly pushing to take things further.

White joined Meta’s board of directors in early 2025, a move that formalized the relationship. As detailed by Sportico, the appointment came with a compensation package of 1,999 restricted stock units valued at approximately $1.28 million as of January 24, 2025. Zuckerberg has publicly credited White’s ability to build the UFC into one of the fastest-growing sports enterprises in the world as a key reason for bringing him onto the board.

White has also served as a longtime political ally of President Donald Trump, and his presence at Meta has been seen as a bridge between the company and the current administration. The two came close to staging a high-profile celebrity bout in 2023, when White attempted to organize a fight between Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, though those plans never materialized.

The professional relationship has since taken on a more formal dimension, with White now involved in Meta’s corporate governance alongside his UFC duties. White is also set to host a UFC event on the White House south lawn in the coming weeks, an event tied to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Zuckerberg’s MMA involvement has drawn its own share of attention beyond White’s comments. Amid broader coverage of the UFC’s expanding partnerships, questions around the political framing of the White House card have also followed White in recent months. For now, White’s TIME interview marks his most direct and detailed endorsement yet of the Meta CEO as the most competitive figure he has ever come across.