Dana White

American mixed martial arts businessmanTemplate:SHORTDESC:American mixed martial arts businessman[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

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**Dana Frederick White Jr.** (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman and the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization in the world. Under White's leadership, the UFC has grown into a globally popular multibillion-dollar enterprise. As of August 2019, White's net worth was assessed at $500 million.

## Early life and education

Dana White Jr. was born in Manchester, Connecticut on July 28, 1969, the son of June and Dana White. He and his sister, Kelly, were raised by their mother and her family for the majority of their childhoods. White has said he is an Irish American.

He began boxing at age 17 and graduated from Hermon High School in Maine in 1987. He started college twice, once at Quincy College and once at UMass Boston, but dropped out during his first semester each time. White then worked as a boxercise coach.

White spent many of his early years residing in Ware, Massachusetts. He claims he left Boston for Las Vegas after reportedly being threatened by mobster Whitey Bulger and his associate Kevin Weeks. "He basically said, 'You owe us money'. It was like $2,500, which was like $25,000 to me back then, and said, 'You owe us money.' It was actually a guy named Kevin Weeks, who if you saw the trial he's Whitey's right-hand man. I'm sure he's very prominent in the movie, but yeah basically said I owed him some money, and I didn't pay him. This went on for a while and one day I was at my place and I got a call and they said, 'You owe us the money tomorrow by 1 o'clock'. I literally hung up the phone, picked up the phone and called Delta and bought a ticket to Vegas."

## Career

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

While working as a manager for Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, White met Bob Meyrowitz, the owner of Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. When White learned that Meyerwitz was looking to sell the UFC, he contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive and co-founder of Station Casinos, a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and asked if he would be interested in acquiring the company. In January 2001, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank acquired the UFC for $2 million, which subsequently became a subsidiary of Zuffa. White was installed as the company's president.

White said that when he and the Fertittas acquired the UFC, all they received was the brand name "UFC" and an old octagon. The previous owners had stripped the company's assets to avoid bankruptcy, so much so that the UFC.com website had been sold to a company named "User Friendly Computers". Over time, with White as president, the UFC developed into a highly successful business, and its gross revenue was $600 million in 2015. In July 2016, Zuffa was sold to a consortium of investors led by WME-IMG for $4.025 billion. White owned 9% of the company at the time of the sale. White announced he would continue in his role as president, and was given a stake in the new business.

In May 2017, the UFC announced White would host *Dana White's Contender Series.* Available exclusively through UFC Fight Pass, the promotion’s digital streaming service, and licensed separately from the UFC brand, the show allows up and coming fighters the chance to showcase their talents in hopes that one day they may compete in the UFC.

On March 18, 2019, White revealed that he had signed a new, seven-year contract to remain president of the UFC, as the UFC signed a deal with ESPN.

### Boxing

White entered the boxing scene by co-promoting Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor due to McGregor being contracted to the UFC. In October 2017, White said at Freddie Roach's Wild Card West boxing club that he was "getting into boxing, 100 percent." White says that he wants to incorporate boxing into the company portfolio of the UFC.

## Filmography

* *Ridiculousness*, as himself, in episode: "Dana White" (2013)
* *The League*, as The Goon, in episode: "Rafi and Dirty Randy" (2013)
* *Silicon Valley*, as Dana White, in episode "Homicide" (2015)
* *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, as Dana White, in episode "Wolf Cola: A Public Relations Nightmare" (2017)

## Personal life

White met his wife Anne (née Stella) when they were in the eighth grade and they married in 1996. They have two sons, Dana III and Aidan, and one daughter, Savannah. White values his privacy, and keeps Anne out of the public spotlight. White bought a mansion in Pine Island Court, Las Vegas in 2006 from Frank Fertitta III for $1.95 million. White bought three other mansions in the same area from October 2016 to June 2017 for a combined total of around $6.2 million. Demolition permits were issued for the houses, presumably with the intent of creating a mega-mansion for White and his family.

In 2011, White's mother, June, released the book *Dana White, King of MMA: An Unauthorized Biography*. June claimed in the book that, since his success with the UFC, Dana had "turned his back on his family and friends who were there for him when he needed help and support".

White spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, where he endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump. White said that Trump helped the UFC at its beginnings, allowing the UFC to host its first event under Zuffa ownership (UFC 30) at the Trump Taj Mahal when others venues refused to host the UFC. White said, "No arenas wanted us. This guy reached out, and he's always been a friend to me."

In a season 15 episode of History Channel's *Pawn Stars* (originally airing on February 5, 2018), White purchased over $60,000 worth of Katana swords including one of Rick Harrison's 16th-century Japanese Katana.

### Sex-tape lawsuit

White was accused in a sex-tape scandal, when a stripper, allegedly taped a sexual encounter with White in Brazil around the year 2014 without his consent. The stripper also alleged White had been seeing her for months during his marriage.The stripper's live-in boyfriend then tried to extort money from White, which resulted in a criminal case against her boyfriend. In Nevada, on April 3, 2020, a civil suit against White was filed, claiming he offered the boyfriend money to persuade him to plead guilty, in which White has denied. According to the complaint, White paid $10,000 to the stripper to dance and have sex with him.

### Health issues

In May 2012, White revealed that he had been diagnosed with Ménière's disease, a neurological disorder. He said, "It's like vertigo but on steroids." White claims that the disease was brought on because of a large fight he was involved in during his youth.

The UFC on Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier event was to be the first he had missed in 11 years with White staying home, adhering to medical advice.

White is undergoing Orthokine treatment for Ménière's disease, which he says has greatly reduced his symptoms.

### Charity

In 2010, White donated $50,000 for a liver transplant to Tuptim Jadnooleum, the daughter of “Kru Nai” Rattanachai, one of the instructors for Tiger Muay Thai and MMA in Phuket, Thailand.

In 2011, White donated $100,000 to his former high school to fund renovations to their athletic facilities.

## Accomplishments

* Nevada Sportsman of the Year (2009)
* Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards
	+ Promoter of the Year (2005–13; 2015–16)
* World MMA Awards
	+ Leading Man of the Year (2008-19)
* Armed Forces Foundation
	+ Patriot Award

## References

1. ↑ "Dana White Net Worth", *Wealthy Gorilla* (November 2019).
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Everything you need to know about Dana White before his GQ Moty appearance". https://www.gq.com.au/men-of-the-year/event-coverage/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dana-white-before-his-gq-moty-appearance/image-gallery/8bffcf37a156c06986e40adb07fe6557. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
3. ↑ Tabuena, Anton (July 14, 2014). "Video: Learn Dana White's full name, and the first street fight he ever organized". *Bloody Elbow*. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2014/7/14/5897873/video-learn-dana-whites-full-name-and-the-first-street-fight-he-ever. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
4. ↑ Boice, Danny. "Boxer To Entrepreneur: How Dana White Became The Champ Of Mixed Martial Arts", *Forbes*. Retrieved on May 12, 2017.
5. ↑ Western, Dan. "Dana White Net Worth". *Wealthy Gorilla*. https://wealthygorilla.com/dana-white-net-worth/. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
6. ↑ Joseph, Andrew (August 27, 2019). "Paige VanZant says she earns more through Instagram posts than UFC". *USA Today*. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190828094900/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/08/paige-vanzant-ufc-instagram-pay-dana-white-net-worth-money-mma. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Knapp, Brian (October 15, 2017). "5 Things You Might Not Know About Dana White". *Sherdog*. https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/5-Things-You-Might-Not-Know-About-Dana-White-127657. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
8. ↑ UFC (March 9, 2014). "Fight Night London: Dana White Post-Fight Presser Scrum". *YouTube*. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9QGaLXA6Uk&t=2m20s. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
9. ↑ Dollery, Paul. "UFC boss refers to Ireland as 'the UK' but claims it was a prank on McGregor" (in en). https://www.the42.ie/ufc-boss-tells-ireland-calm-down-2015275-Mar2015/.
10. ↑ Clark, Ernie (May 3, 2011). "UFC President Dana White gives $100,000 to fix up Hermon athletic complex". *Bangor Daily News*. http://bangordailynews.com/2011/05/03/sports/white%E2%80%99s-100000-donation-funds-hermon-athletic-complex-upgrades. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
11. ↑ Wagenheim, Jeff (December 22, 2009). "Better duck: Dana White is coming home". *ESPN*. https://www.espn.com/boston/news/story?id=4766500. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
12. ↑ Harkness, Ryan (2018-08-23). "Dana White goes into detail on his boxercise instructor days" (in en). https://www.mmamania.com/2018/8/23/17776126/dana-white-talks-boxercise-instructor-days-story-picture.
13. ↑ Dupont, Kevin Paul (January 16, 2016). "UFC president Dana White has deep bond with Boston". *Boston Globe*. https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/01/16/ufc-president-dana-white-has-deep-connection-with-boston/77kJjod5RPgnTy3HaJD7iJ/story.html. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
14. ↑ Martin, Damon (September 10, 2015). "Dana White had his own ‘Black Mass’ experience with Whitey Bulger". *Fox Sports*. https://www.foxsports.com/ufc/haymaker/story/ufc-dana-white-black-mass-johnny-depp-whitey-bulger-boston-experience-091015. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
15. ↑ "UFC sold to WME-IMG in unprecedented deal" (in en). July 11, 2016. https://www.espn.com/mma/story/\_/id/16970360/ufc-sold-unprecedented-4-billion-dana-white-confirms.
16. ↑ Bensinger, Graham; writer, ContributorSports (October 3, 2011). "UFC's Dana White on Alcoholic Dad, Donald Trump, the Mob, John McCain & New York" (in en). https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ufcs-dana-white-on-alcoho\_b\_991617.
17. ↑ "UFC sold to WME-IMG in unprecedented deal" (in en). 2016-07-11. https://www.espn.com/mma/story/\_/id/16970360/ufc-sold-unprecedented-4-billion-dana-white-confirms.
18. ↑ McCarthy, Michael (April 10, 2005). "Battles yield winning 'Fighter'". *USA Today*. https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2005-04-10-white-usat\_x.htm. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
19. ↑ O'Reilly, Lara (July 11, 2016). "The hugely popular mixed martial arts league UFC has been sold for $4 billion". *Business Insider*. https://www.businessinsider.com/mixed-martial-arts-league-ufc-sold-for-4-billion-to-wme-img-2016-7?r=UK&IR=T. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
20. ↑ "UFC sold to WME-IMG in unprecedented deal" (in en). 2016-07-11. https://www.espn.com/mma/story/\_/id/16970360/ufc-sold-unprecedented-4-billion-dana-white-confirms.
21. ↑ Martin, Damon (June 14, 2017). "Dana White receives promoter’s license for new contender series separate from UFC". *Fox Sports*. https://www.foxsports.com/ufc/story/dana-white-receives-promoters-license-for-new-contender-series-separate-from-ufc-061417. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
22. ↑ Raimondi, Marc (March 18, 2019). "Dana White says he’s extended his contract with the UFC for seven more years". *MMA Fighting*. https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/3/18/18271731/dana-white-says-hes-extended-his-contract-with-the-ufc-for-seven-more-years. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
23. ↑ "Dana White agrees to new 7-year deal with UFC" (in en). 2019-03-19. https://www.espn.com/mma/story/\_/id/26301344/dana-white-agrees-new-7-year-deal-ufc.
24. ↑ Rafael, Dan (November 9, 2017). "UFC president Dana White interested in promoting boxing matches". *ESPN*. https://www.espn.com/mma/story/\_/id/21341423/ufc-president-dana-white-interested-promoting-boxing-matches. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
25. ↑ Murphy, Darragh. "Dana White planning to bring boxing to the UFC". *Sports Joe*. https://www.sportsjoe.ie/mma/dana-white-planning-to-bring-boxing-to-the-ufc-141415. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
26. ↑ Nash, Brad (November 9, 2018). "Everything You Need To Know About Dana White Before His GQ MOTY Appearance" (in en). https://www.gq.com.au/men-of-the-year/event-coverage/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dana-white-before-his-gq-moty-appearance/image-gallery/8bffcf37a156c06986e40adb07fe6557.
27. ↑ Adams, Jonathan (2016-07-20). "Dana White, UFC President: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know" (in en). https://heavy.com/sports/2016/07/dana-white-net-worth-wife-anne-ufc-president-kids-mob-bio-about-family-salary-money/.
28. ↑ "UFC chief Dana White buys 3 homes in exclusive Las Vegas area" (in en-US). June 6, 2017. https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/housing/ufc-chief-dana-white-buys-3-homes-in-exclusive-las-vegas-area/.
29. ↑ White, June M.. "Dana White, King of Mma: Dana White an Unauthorized Biography". *Goodreads*. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12092479-dana-white-king-of-mma. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
30. ↑ Molina, Joshua (July 19, 2011). "Dana White’s mom calls him a "prick" and "tyrant," who turned his back on his family". *Full Contact Fighter*. http://fcfighter.com/dana-white%E2%80%99s-mom-calls-him-a-%E2%80%9Cp-%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Ctyrant%E2%80%9D-who-turned-his-back-on-his-family/. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
31. ↑ "UFC president Dana White stumps for Trump at Republican convention", *The Guardian* (July 19, 2016). Retrieved on June 11, 2017.
32. ↑ Zidan, Karim (August 16, 2018). "Why the UFC is a perfect platform for Donald Trump’s political ideology" (in en-GB), *The Guardian*.
33. ↑ "UFC’s Dana White on loyalty to Trump: ‘That guy gave us our start when nobody would talk to us’" (in en-US). https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/aug/20/dana-white-on-loyalty-to-trump-that-guy-gave-us-ou/.
34. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Stripper filmed sex tape with Dana White without his knowledge, suit claims". *Canoe.com*. April 5, 2020. https://canoe.com/sports/fighting/mma/stripper-filmed-sex-tape-with-dana-white-without-his-knowledge-suit-claims.
36. ↑ Campbell, Brian (April 4, 2020). "UFC president Dana White named as victim in $200,000 sex-tape extortion lawsuit". *CBSSports.com*. https://www.cbssports.com/mma/news/ufc-president-dana-white-named-as-victim-in-200000-sex-tape-extortion-lawsuit/.
37. ↑ German, Jeff (April 4, 2020). "UFC’s Dana White named as extortion victim in sex-tape case". *Las Vegas Review-Journal*. https://www.reviewjournal.com/investigations/ufcs-dana-white-named-as-extortion-victim-in-sex-tape-case-1999477/.
38. ↑ Iole, Kevin (May 16, 2012). "Dana White diagnosed with Ménière's disease, misses first live UFC card in more than 11 years". *Yahoo Sports*. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/mma--dana-white-diagnosed-with-meniere-s-disease-misses-first-live-ufc-card-in-11-years.html. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
39. ↑ Jr, Adam Guillen (2012-05-15). "UFCs Dana White reveals he has Meniere's disease" (in en). https://www.mmamania.com/2012/5/15/3023255/ufcs-dana-white-menieres-disease-ear-surgery-mma.
40. ↑ Rogan, Joe (February 21, 2013). "Joe Rogan Experience #327 - Dana White". *YouTube*. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9e6cyv7lnw. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Guillen Jr., Adam (April 18, 2013). "Dana White Meniere's Disease: A-Rod, German stem cell treatment cure UFC President '100 percent'". *SB Nation*. https://www.mmamania.com/2013/4/18/4240318/dana-white-meniers-disease-a-rod-germany-stem-cell-treatment-cure-ufc-president. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
42. ↑ Marrocco, Steven (January 5, 2018). "Dana White opens up on $50,000 donation that helped save a young Thai girl's life". *MMAjunkie.com*. https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2018/01/ufc-dana-white-donation-saves-thai-girl-life. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
43. ↑ "Dana White honored as "Sportsman of the Year" while $250K awarded to The Caring Place". *MMAjunkie.com*. July 27, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090731110120/http://mmajunkie.com/news/15646/dana-white-honored-as-sportsman-of-the-year-while-250k-awarded-to-the-caring-place.mma. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
44. ↑ Template:Cite journal
45. ↑ Tucker, Bryan (July 3, 2019). "World MMA Awards 2019 Results" (in en). https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/7/3/20681393/world-mma-awards-2019-results.
46. ↑ "UFCs Dana White accepts Patriot Award for humanitarian efforts to raise money for injured soldiers". *SB Nation*. March 19, 2009. https://www.mmamania.com/2009/03/19/ufcs-dana-white-accepts-patriot-award-for-humanitarian-efforts-to-raise-money-for-injured-soldiers. Retrieved June 17, 2019.

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