Meta adds 3 members to the board, including UFC boss Dana White and a key figure in orbit around new President Donald Trump.

Meta has named three new members to its board of directors, including Dana White, chairman and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and a familiar figure in new President Donald Trump’s orbit.

The social media company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is also adding auto mogul John Elkann and tech investor Charlie Songhurst, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post Monday evening.

Tapping White to join the board could be seen as Zuckerberg’s latest move to improve ties with Trump, who was once banned from Facebook. After Trump’s reelection in November, Zuckerberg dined at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Other major tech companies such as Amazon have made similar donations.

Trump is a longtime fan of the UFC and frequently competes in major fights.

His ties to White date back to 2001, when White hosted a UFC at the Republican’s former hotel-casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Trump Taj Mahal. Trump has also appeared with White at UFC matches over the years, particularly during his 2024 campaign, as part of efforts to attract young male voters.

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White, in turn, spoke at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Republican conventions and appeared on stage at Trump’s election victory party in November, even briefly addressing the crowd.

The two attended a post-election UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden, where fans cheered as organizers showed video clips of Trump’s path to winning back the White House.

White made the UFC “one of the most valuable, fastest-growing and most popular sports companies in the world,” Zuckerberg said. “I admire him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”

Zuckerberg is also active in mixed martial arts. Zuckerberg and fellow billionaire Elon Musk apparently agreed to fight in a “cage match” in 2023, but it never happened.

Elkann, another person joining Meta’s board, is the CEO of Exor, a Netherlands-based investment firm, and chairman of its two automakers, Stellantis and Ferrari.

Zuckerberg said Elkann has “deep experience leading large global companies and brings an international perspective to our board.”

Songhurst previously worked at Microsoft and began advising Meta last year on artificial intelligence.