Dana White joins Meta's board prior to Trump's inauguration.

• Dana White, a longtime friend of Donald Trump, is set to join the board of Meta two weeks before the new administration takes office.
• Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, stated in a post that White has made the UFC one of the most valuable, fastest growing, and popular sports enterprises globally.
• The Italian holding company Exor's CEO John Elkann and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst are also joining Meta's board.

Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a longtime friend of Donald Trump, is set to join the board of Facebook parent Meta two weeks before the new administration takes office.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, praised White for building the UFC into a highly valuable, rapidly growing, and widely popular sports enterprise in a post on Monday.

Zuckerberg expressed admiration for the entrepreneur's brand-building skills in a post.

In recent years, Zuckerberg has been passionate about mixed martial arts and has attended several UFC events, showcasing his love for the combat sport.

In 2023, Zuckerberg suffered an ACL injury during a sparring session while preparing for a competitive MMA fight. At the same time, he and Musk engaged in a verbal spat and expressed their willingness to engage in a fight. However, Zuckerberg later revealed that the fight was canceled because Musk was not serious about it.

Trump was joined onstage by White after the election victory in November.

"This is what happens when the machine pursues you," White stated after being introduced by Trump. "What you've witnessed over the past few years is a reflection of this. Despite my efforts to stop him, he continues to advance, never giving up, and is the most resilient and hardworking individual I've ever met."

Meta recently disclosed that the company had given $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. Zuckerberg was among the tech executives who visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida after the election.

In 2021, Musk became a member of Endeavor Group's board, which owns UFC through TKO Group Holdings. He left the board in 2022.

Other new members of Meta's board are John Elkann, CEO of Exor, and former head of corporate strategy Charlie Songhurst, as announced by Zuckerberg.

Exor's automobile companies Stellantis and Ferrari are chaired by Elkann, while Songhurst has spent the previous year on Meta's advisory group helping the company with its artificial intelligence and technology strategies, Zuckerberg stated.

Zuckerberg stated that our board will aid us in realizing our vision of seizing significant opportunities in AI, wearables, and the evolving social media landscape.

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