Dana White drops bombshell that will change UFC forever as official announcement made

Dana White has dropped a bombshell UFC announcement, confirming a new, long-term partnership.

White announced a slew of UFC fights on Wednesday, including two championship bouts for June's pay-per-view card in Newark, New Jersey.

He confirmed the featured fights for UFC 316, announcing Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2 and Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison.

The UFC CEO also announced a match-up between Ian Garry and Carlos Prates, which headlines this month's UFC Fight Night in Kansas City, Missouri.

Fresh off his fight updates, White has once again taken to social media to confirm a long-term partnership with Meta, revealing the details of the ground-breaking deal.

Meta technology, which includes Facebook and Instagram, will produce content and experiences for UFC fans. Meta glasses will also be used to capture content, with White promising to 'blow fans' away.

And Meta AI will develop a new fighter rankings system that will debut this year.

White, who was elected to the company's board of directors at the start of the year, has previously expressed his frustration with the current UFC rankings that are voted on by a group of media outlets, which has been in place since 2013.

White said: "I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years that have helped us grow this sport, but Mark and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UFC fans. Meta has the greatest minds in tech and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level.

"We’ve already started to work on some innovations with Meta around a new fighter rankings system that I’ll be sharing soon. The next few years will be an absolute game changer for fans of this sport."

Dana White announces a new partnership between UFC and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. Image: Getty

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg added: "I love this sport and I’m looking forward to working with the UFC to let fans experience it in new ways."

Additional elements of the partnership will be announced as the UFC and Meta teams work together to introduce innovations and enhancements to the UFC experience.