Issue 173

December 2018

For the past 17 years Dana White has been the public face of the UFC and a reflection of its values: controversial, pugnacious, entertaining. And as he nears 50, there's no sign of him - or the business - slowing down.

Dana White breaks into a big, broad grin. The eyes flash, he pulls those big arms behind his head and looks askance. He dresses like a man in the street, but is a man on a mission. The front man for the UFC for nearly twenty years – and he’s 50 next summer, by the way – has mellowed in his approach from the guy who would bark and bite when pressed.

Don’t get me wrong: White is a man’s man. Always will be. Sharpen up at him and he’s in your face, and prepared for a straightener. That will never change. Just as the MMA world saw at the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov news conference in New York in late September, when White told fighter agent Ali Albelaziz in no uncertain terms to get away from the stage, after moderating a mildly uncomfortable hour with McGregor going each and every way with his diatribe at his Dagestani opponent, from religion to politics to fight sports itself. Through it, White kept a tight composure, never missing a beat. The difference is, White, once given to displays of fire and emotion himself (he’s of Irish descent remember) now picks his battles very carefully.

He always believed the UFC would become “a commercial juggernaut” and predicts that one day the fight organization will reach pay-per-view numbers of 25 million with the fighter in the right market at the right time being another catalyst for a growth spurt. In fairness, all White’s wild predictions have had a way of finding a route to reality, not by chance, but by damned hard work. It’s an ethic he has always had from his old gym days, and running three jobs as a young man. But now he hustles in a completely different way. But if the battle to make the UFC the biggest sports franchise in the world is a challenge, perhaps his greatest battle is with himself – and his own health. More of which later.

But in an exclusive interview, White embarks on a journey with us to discuss the last 25 years of the UFC and his life through it, having picked the organization up in its infancy back in 2001 with business partners and friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.

White is never backwards in coming forward, the template, if you will, for the advancement of the Ultimate Fighting Championship over the last 25 years. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and always has been since 2001, when he persuaded friend Lorenzo to invest millions in a sport that few knew about, beyond its raw viscerality but which would captivate modern generations, aping as it does the gladiatorial battles of old, and appealing to something which has existed in the DNA of all of mankind throughout the ages.

“I still love what I do. I jump out of bed in the morning, I’m always excited,” White enthuses when discussing the landmark sale of the UFC two years ago to IMG/WME. “Not only about the fights we’re making, the different places we’re going, but the direction the business is going and the things we’re working on for the next five years.”

Exact details of that deal remain undisclosed, but it’s known to have broken all records for a sports franchise buyout with the actual figure rumored to have been in the region of $4.5 billion. Yet White believes the team has just got started. He stayed, Lorenzo left, but they speak day to day. And Lorenzo still has views on how things must and should be done. And the business continues to grow and grow and grow. Did White have an inkling that it would be so big, so bold, so impactful in so many places, creeping into the mainstream like an undiscovered, diamond in the rough?

“I don’t think anything you get involved with, can you really dream about how big it becomes,” he muses. “I always believed that this could be the biggest sport in the world, and I said that from day one. I always believed it was the perfect thing to go global, and I believed it would work in every country. Thank God I was right.

“I really did believe it would become the commercial juggernaut it is now,” he adds. “I really did. Even with all the things we’ve accomplished, I still believe that there’s so much more to do. It can grow so much more. As big as we are, wait till you see what we do next.”

The highlights of the last 17 years in which White has been involved are manifold. So much has happened. There have now been over 450 UFC events, thousands of fighters, tens of thousands of fights, hundreds of highlight reels and the UFC remains at the cutting edge of sport, and perhaps more importantly, sports broadcasting. They are so far ahead of so many other sports.

“There’s been so many historic moments for this company, and for me personally,” White explains, pausing as he thinks about his toplines. “From getting it regulated to getting it back on pay-per-view, getting the Fox deal, getting the ESPN deal, breaking into all these different countries, breaking records at arenas around the world – there’s so many things I can name off the top of my head that were big moments in my career. I still feel that way, I still love breaking records. This Conor and Khabib fight, another record-breaker. That’s the type of shit I live for.”

But if White is to pick out one personal achievement during that time, it’s with his kids. Understandable, given that he is a workaholic, an ever-present, a man who faces and deals with so many facets of his business. And remember, we are in a business where one of the watchwords, which you could almost use as a daily mantra, is “expect the unexpected.”

It is an unexpected, pleasantly unexpected, gem, which White chooses to reveal. “I would say my greatest achievement is my kids. At the end of the day, as passionate as I am about this sport and this brand, it’s all about my kids. I’m very involved, whether it’s their extra-curricular activities or whatever it is, that’s still my number one priority. I’ve got to juggle the sport, the business and the brand, and stay involved in what they do. And obviously, my wife does a very good job at that too.”

Reporting in Vegas, I once ran into Dana and his family. It was seven or eight years ago and I had been hosting a boxing brunch in Las Vegas at the Wynn Hotel with the famous boxing historian, Bert Randolph Sugar. As we made our way out of there – and a very plush place it is – we ran into Dana and his family, on a lunchtime when his son was having his First Holy Communion. I’ve never forgotten that. Especially because White is an atheist. That’s called supporting your family, no matter what your beliefs. He once showed me behind a wall in his office, where two bibles, carved into hand guns, were mounted in a glass frame. “That’s why, because look what happens.. ”, was all he said to me that day.

On family, there are fight matters too. Would White mind his kids fighting or being fighters? Clearly not. Witness the recent pictures on Instagram.

“My son, Aidan, had his first boxing match on St Paddy’s Day in Boston. It was awesome. I love the sport of fighting, I love what it does to you and the type of person it turns you into. I love everything about it. If that’s something my kids want to do, even my daughter, I would be very supportive about it.”

White worked the corner. Lorenzo was the bucket man. “I was so nervous watching him. Before we walked out I was a mess, I didn’t tell him, but my stomach was in knots and I was very nervous for him. It was awesome. It was an amazing experience for everyone. I’m not one of these guys who talks shit about how they love this sport, I believe in fighting and believe in what it does.” “It was a very emotional moment, but I didn’t show it then.”

White lists the most important seven fighters during his time with the UFC. “Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. One of the great things about this sport and one of the great things about the UFC is I can count on my hands how many bad shows we’ve had. I’ve been the guy that’s out there creating this platform for them to go out and perform. The amazing thing is they always perform, they always go out there and deliver. All the fighters, from the prelims to the headliners, but those seven people really stick out as doing incredible, special things who helped elevate the sport and the brand to a completely different level.”

Yet White remains modest himself. Up close with him, there is little ego. Having dealt with him personally for the last 12 years, you can fall out with him, you can make up with him. But there is real loyalty about him. He’s just doing a job he loves. And he lives it.

“I don’t like talking about myself in this way, but to not sound goofy, Lorenzo and I always believed we were the guys to make the UFC a success. I’m super passionate about the sport and I love it more than anything. I push every day to make it bigger and better, putting on the fights the people want to see.

“People always ask me when I’m going to retire,” he continues. “Hopefully the answer is never. I don’t ever want to retire and stop doing this. If you think we’re big now, I have even bigger plans for this thing over the next five years. We’re working on some really cool stuff. I was very fortunate to work with the Fertitta brothers, and do what we did. And now I feel the same way about Ari Emanuel and the things we’re working on. I’ve been fortunate to have great partners.”

But he does assert, once more, that the UFC will grow and grow and grow. Become even bigger than football around the world. It’s hard to doubt him. “Absolutely we will reach everyone on this planet. Everyone knows how I feel about fighting and how I think humans beings feel about fighting. Now if you look at the technology and how fast it’s growing, everyone who has a phone and an internet connection can watch a fight at the same time all over the world. That’s what I’ve been dreaming about my entire career and we’re finally here. If you look at our deal with ESPN, it’s by far the leader in what’s going on with social media and OTT. These guys are so on top of it. They’re the perfect partner for us at the perfect time.”

He reckons he will find the right fight to have 25 million pay-per-view events, too. “As this sport continues to grow and as people learn more about it, as we go into new territories, grow the right fanbase, grow the right stars at the right time, it will get bigger and bigger. Wait until China really gets into it. I know it, I believe it and I’m going to continue to work on it every day.”

Perhaps it will be a Chinese McGregor? “All you need is to be an incredible champion and a good fighter. Forget all the talking and the bullshit, you don’t need any of that. If you end up with a Chinese fighter who is legit and a great champion, that’s all you need. If all that shit falls into place great, but all I need is a good fighter.”

The key in all this, to keep the front man going, is his own health. He has been getting more regular checks, and these are key as he turns 50 next year. In my view, the sport needs him. While White is involved, it will grow and grow and grow. He remains a force of nature.

“I’m doing a better job at looking after myself than I used to. Life is all about balance. I’ve had some good balance in two key areas, but I’ve never really taken good care of myself. So now I’m really working on that a lot. I’m getting that dialed in too, and once I get that perfected I’m going to be in a really good place.”

“I’m working on that part of my life and I’m getting a lot better at that.” But back to that man’s man in him, the one born of Boston, he adds: “I’ll never be a vegan, that I promise.” Dana White, to a tee. Doubt him at your peril. If he wants to make something happen, it will.