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Well, there’s no way to sugarcoat this, so I guess I’ll just come right out and say it.

Somebody needs to take a closer look inside of Dana White’s pillbox to see what kind of sedatives are in there, because the dude has chilled waytoo far out as we head into the UFC’s 2026 schedule. Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani talked about this on his Monday show, the general indifference the very Face of the UFC has been giving off lately. Sleepy as a gas leak. Bored as a kid in detention. What happened to the blowhard hyperbole we’ve come to love? What happened to turning three shades of red trying to convince us of something? What happened to the enthusiasm that translated so easily to this fan base’s passion?

It wasn’t so long ago that he was selling us on the vitality of what was about to happen in the UFC. We were built to care, because for so long caring is what Dana sold better than anybody else.

I suspect there are some gummies somewhere to be found. A book of Zen-like affirmations that has egregiously tamed his heart. All I know is something’s going on. The example Ariel pointed out is one in a long line. After calling Kayla Harrison’s upcoming UFC 324 fight with Amanda Nunes the “greatest female fight of all time” during an appearance on "CBS Mornings" — and remember, CBS is the parent company of his new $ 7.7 billion dollar partner, Paramount+ — Dana got a little vague when asked “why." He seemed to remember that Harrison had medaled in judo, though he wasn’t too confident of the native element (was it gold? Silver? Sulfur?). Never mind that she'd actually taken home Olympic gold twice, a feat of historical recognition.

Look, she medaled, OK?

And Amanda Nunes, well, Amanda Nunes — she is the female GOAT.

Maybe the price of context has gone up because that was pretty much all Dana had to offer there. CBS' anchors were being polite, but I don’t think they were exactly satisfied with the answer. Most of that panel wouldn’t know the UFC’s female GOAT from a common farm animal, and Dana felt no pressing need to educate them further. Tune in and find out!

Maybe the years have beaten him down a bit. That’s a big roster with lots of tomfoolery going on. Parents grow more aloof over time, too. They rush to the jungle gym when their first child climbs a foot off the ground, but by the time their fourth is dangling from the top by one leg they assume he’ll figure it out.

Back in the day, Dana had things to say on hot topics in general, things like the UFC’s upcoming schedule or the general delusions of his fighters or about Mario Yamasaki. Remember that time Yamasaki justified standing idly by while Priscila Cachoeira caught a hellacious beating from Valentina Shevchenko, saying he was “giving her a chance to be a warrior?”

“I think it’s disgusting,” Dana said, looking disgusted. “I think he’s disgusting, and I never want to see him reffing ever again.”

As so went away the loving heart-shaped hand gestures of one of MMA’s most sadistic referees. Long before him Steve Mazzagatti suffered a similar fate. Dana was protective of MMA. Of the UFC. Of his viewpoints. I liked the Dana who said he’d never been so embarrassed as when Anderson Silva toyed with Damian Maia at UFC 112 for five rounds. He was mortified. Pissed. Ready to cut ties with his best fighter if he ever pulled a stunt like that again. I liked the promoter who told us Renan Barao was probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world before his fight with Urijah Faber. The one who used to have a vein popping out on his forehead as he shouted at Joe Rogan just before the start of a pay-per-view.

These days, it just seems a little tougher to get a rise out of him. I can’t imagine him calling Greg Jackson a “sport killer” or nominating Monte Cox as the worst manager in MMA. When Robbie Fox recently asked him if Arman Tsarukyan’s head-butt to Dan Hooker factored into him not getting a title shot, the old Dana might’ve saw that as a chance to correct any stupid notions out there while justifying the UFC putting together Justin Gaethje versus Paddy Pimblett.

The new one?

“100%,” he said, relaxed on the couch. “A lot of things have factored in, you know … yeah. Yes.”

End of interview.

It's all fine and good if Dana doesn’t feel the need to engage in unnecessary battles, but promoting fights is his business. That’s what he does. That’s who he is. It’s usually where he leaves the Scott Cokers and the Donn Davises of the world in the dust. When asked about the first card on Paramount+, UFC 324, by that same CBS crew, Dana said that everyone wants to see the winner of Pimblett vs. Gaethje fight the UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, one of the biggest stars on roster.

“We’ll see how that plays out,” he said, as if overcome by his own skepticism. It was a little too Debbie Downer for those of us who’ve watched him beam like a circus showman over the years.

A decade ago, he might’ve said something more along the lines of, “There was only one fight to make as kick off the era with Paramount+. Justin Gaethje is a savage, he never stops coming forward, and Paddy Pimblett is nasty, too. There’s so much on the line. The winner of this fight will face Ilia Topuria, who is a two-division champion, one of the best, most terrifying pound-for-pound fighters going, and we’re ushering in this new era with a bang.”

But not today’s Dana. Does anybody have any jumper cables? An adrenaline shot? Just to get Dana going again?

Maybe it’s the ice plunges that have chilled him out. Maybe it’s that he’s exerting too much energy into his side projects, into Power Slap and Zuffa Boxing and the omnipotent White House card, all the other stuff that has nothing to do with what’s next.

But fans have forever followed Dana’s lead as the face and mouthpiece of the UFC. If he stops caring about the product, expect fans to do the same.