“Money ruins everything” – Dana White reacts to college football programs spending $30-40 million on player NIL deals

College football in the United States is entering a new financial era, and Dana White is not convinced it will end well.

During a recent appearance on the Spinnin Backfist MMA Show, White was asked about the growing influence of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) money in college football, particularly with Texas Tech reportedly having a roster worth around $30-40 million in NIL payments. White responded with a blunt reaction about how money can ruin sports:

“Holy sh*t! I didn’t know that. Um, it’s a problem. It’s a problem. Let me tell you this. Money ruins everything. Money ruins everything. It’s such a double-edged sword in talking about this when you think about some of these kids from the past that added so much value to these colleges that made so much money, and those kids, you know, some of them don’t make it in the pros, so they didn’t make money.”

He added:

“So there’s that side of the discussion. And then on the other side is, you know, when you start, when you’re spending 30 or $40 million on college football for players, you know, I don’t know. Only time will tell as this plays out. And yeah, my experience is money ruins everything. Money ruins everything. That’s what my father always said.”

Check out Dana White‘s comments below (8:20):

Dana White gives positive update on Tom Aspinall’s UFC return

Tom Aspinall’s long-awaited UFC return has been an unclear subject up until now. The heavyweight champion has been sidelined since his October 2025 fight against Ciryl Gane, where he suffered an eye injury.

With no comeback fight booked nearly a year later, uncertainty has grown around his future. Dana White has now offered some reassurance. In the aforementioned interview, he insisted that Aspinall remains firmly with the UFC and will return once cleared:

“Whenever he’s healthy [he’ll fight again]. He’s not going anywhere. He’s with us, and we’re good with Tom Aspinall. I didn’t know his striking coach had said that, but, obviously, that’s not true. And sounds like Tom clarified that. But yeah, we’re good. When he’s healthy and ready to fight, he’ll fight.”