UFC boss to join board of Facebook owner Meta

Meta has announced the appointment of three recent board members including the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and close Donald Trump friend, Dana White.

It comes as Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, appears to be making efforts to mend ties with Trump, ahead of the US president-elect’s inauguration this month.

Days ago former UK deputy prime minister and Liberal Democrat chief Sir Nick Clegg left his job as president of global affairs at the social media giant.

The other recent members of Meta’s board include John Elkann, who leads European property firm Exor, and Charlie Songhurst, a former Microsoft executive.

“Dana, John and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will assist us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with [artificial intelligence], wearables and the upcoming of human connection,” said Mr Zuckerberg in a statement.

The social media giant also praised Mr White’s role in turning UFC into a global business.

In a post on Meta’s Instagram, Mr White said he loves social media and is “enthusiastic to be a tiny part of the upcoming of [artificial intelligence] and emerging technologies.”

Mr White has previously rejected any suggestion that UFC platforms despise talk, insisting he supports free talk.

A year ago his tense trade with a reporter who questioned why he allowed fighters to make anti-LGBT remarks went viral.

“People can declare whatever they desire and they can depend whatever they desire,” Mr White retorted.

The UFC boss has had a close connection with Trump for decades.

Mr White’s appointment follows information that Sir Nick was being replaced at Meta by his deputy, prominent Republican Joel Kaplan, who has handled relations between the social media firm and the Republican event.

There has been an apparent thawing between Meta and Trump in recent months.

Relations had been frosty at least since Trump was barred from Facebook and Instagram following the US Capitol riot in January 2021.

In August, Trump wrote in a book that Mr Zuckerberg would “spend the rest of his life in prison” if he attempted to interfere in the 2024 US election.

But the president-elect later softened his position, telling a podcast in October it was “enjoyable” that Mr Zuckerberg was “staying out of the election”, and thanking him for a personal phone call after he faced an assassination attempt.

Mr Zuckerberg visited Mar-a-Lago and had dinner with Trump after his electoral win in November. Earlier this month, he donated $1m (£800,000) to the president-elect’s inauguration financing.