Dana White is giving major credit to social media creator Nina-Marie Daniele, saying her work has played a real role in elevating several UFC fighters.
Speaking about the promotion’s current landscape of names, White highlighted a group of standouts. “Top stars? Jon Jones is still around, you have (Sean) O’Malley, Merab (Dvalishvili) has done very well and has become a star, Islam (Makhachev) absolutely,” White said.
White pointed to Daniele’s impact on that rise for a number of contenders. “If you look at the people that have been built, it is impossible to deny that Nina Drama has helped build some of these guys,” he said, referencing her by the nickname “Nina Drama.”
He singled out Arman Tsarukyan as one of the fighters most actively embracing her platform. “(Arman Tsarukyan is up there) absolutely, Arman definitely is. I’ll tell you what, that guy has done a great job of getting out there and getting himself a lot of attention and a lot of Nina Drama work.”
“From Merab to Sean Strickland, Arman, these guys are smart, they lean into the relationship with her,” White added.
Daniele, who began creating UFC content in 2022 and is known online as “Nina Drama,” has continued to interview prominent fighters. Her UFC 329 interview with Conor McGregor has drawn over 1 million views on YouTube, as she remains a regular presence around UFC events and athletes.
