Dana White says that he has tested negative for Covid-19 just days after revealing his diagnosis, and has thanked controversial podcast host Joe Rogan for recommending a cocktail of drugs which he says aided his recovery.
White revealed last week that he and his family had been struck down by the virus after visiting Maine for Thanksgiving, but speaking to TMZ on Saturday, the UFC boss said that he has been cleared to return to work on Monday by doctors just five days after first testing positive.
White puts his recovery down to the work of medical professionals as well as "Dr. Joe Rogan" – the UFC commentator and Spotify podcast host who recommended that White take a range of therapies for the infection, including Ivermectin.
Rogan, who overcame his own Covid-19 infection with, he claims, the assistance of various alternative methods of treatment, drew several headlines recently after he was cited by NFL player Aaron Rodgers as recommending several remedies for his recovery.
These include Ivermectin, Z-Pak, Prednisone, and monoclonal antibodies as well as a vitamin C and NAD drip - and according to White, the recommendation worked a treat.
"I feel incredible," White said. "Today is day 5 since testing positive for Covid, and [Friday at 9am], I tested negative for Covid. Thank you, Dr. Joe Rogan!
"Joe Rogan is a brilliant guy and he talks to the most brilliant people out there," added White. "He studies, he does his homework on all this stuff, and it’s a fact that this works."
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of two types of monoclonal antibodies in helping to prevent serious infection if exposed to the virus, however the use of a NAD drip and anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin are controversial methods of treatment and have not been cleared as an efficient remedy by any reputable medical bodies.
White is also fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and he told TMZ that he isn't a "crazy anti-vax conspiracy theorist."
White has received praise for continuing to promote UFC events throughout the majority of the pandemic, even as various governments announced travel restrictions, eventually prompting the UFC to hold a residency at Abu Dhabi's Yas Island – better known to fight fans as 'Fight Island'.
Several UFC shows, though, have had high-profile fighters drop off the card due to positive Covid-19 cases and unlike several other major sports in the United States, their athletes – who are independent contractors – aren't coerced into receiving a vaccine if they do not wish to do so.
"This is a free country,” White declared. "You can do whatever you want to do... I am vaccinated. I still got Covid, and I wasn’t going to lay around for days and see how this thing was going to play out for me."