Dana White may be one of the most important figures in combat sports, but the UFC President is also a football dad. And it was in that latter role that White became ‘Uncle Dana’ to one of the NFL’s biggest stars.
‘My kids grew up with Puka. He grew up in our house,’ White told retired Patriots receiver Julian on the ‘Games With Names’ podcast.
White was referring to Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua, an All-Pro who played youth football with the MMA promoter’s son in the Las Vegas area.
Nacua would move to Orem, Utah for high school before attending Washington and BYU en route to the 2023 NFL Draft, where he was picked by the Rams in the fifth round.
And as any football fan can attest, the Rams got an absolute steal in the 6-foot-2 receiver, who has since risen atop coach Sean McVay’s depth chart.
‘Me and Lorenzo [Ferтιтta] used to fund a team called the ‘Little Cowboys’ and he was on the ‘Little Cowboys’ with my kids and a bunch of other guys that are playing right now,’ White said, as quoted by Pro Football and Sports Network.
VERY COOL: #Rams star WR Puka Nacua grew up together with Dana White’s kids.“My kids grow up with Puka. He grew up in our house.”“To see Puka doing what he’s doing now, it couldn’t happen to a better human when you meet this kid, you will love him” pic.twitter.com/znlvuB2gcs
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 2, 2025 
Dana White and his family crowd around his son, Dana Jr., after a high school football game
Puka Nacua and LeBron James pose for a pH๏τo on February 10 at Crypto.Com Arena in LA
Read More Stars take in MLS action 
‘There’s a few kids that went to the NFL from that team and good colleges, too,’ White continued. ‘To see Puka doing what he’s doing now, it could not happen to a better human being. When you meet this kid, you will love this kid. He’s such a good kid.’
Nacua set NFL rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) in 2023. Since then, he’s been nicknamed ‘Puka Doncic’ by Los Angeles Lakers star and football fanatic LeBron James in a playful nod to his own All-Star teammate, Luka.
Remarkably, Nacua may have even been better in 2024, albeit while missing six games due to injury. Although he remained at 9.3 yards per target last season, his catch rate jumped from 65.6 in 2023 to an impressive 74.5 percent in his second year.
Nacua will be counted on even more in 2025 after receiver Cooper Kupp’s departure to the rival Seattle Seahawks, but the Rams still have plenty of talent at the position with the addition of veteran New York Jets castoff Davante Adams.
