Enjoying his role as UFC leader since 2001, promotional CEO, Dana White has revealed some interesting optics regarding his initial rise to the Octagon.
White, alongside Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, assumed control of the UFC back in 2001 under the banner of the now-defunct Zuffa LLC at the turn of the century.
The trio would eventually sell their stake in the promotion to Willian-Morris Endeavor back in 2016. Notably, without the Feritta brothers, White would never have assumed his massive role in the promotion.
Eventually forming TKO Group Holdings alongside Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, White has been installed as the UFC’s official CEO and has since partnered with Nick Khan, who leads the line for the professional wrestling outfit, WWE. But the investors weren’t completely on board with the way White would have wanted it when he took over back in 2001.
According to the bossman, the stigma surrounding the UFC early in the century made the investment from Zuffa LLC and the Fertittas quite interesting.
Lacking on the investors’ front, White claims a this deficiency allowed him and the Fertittas a clear run to seize maximum control of the promotion during that time.
“You know, everybody thought this wouldn’t work,” White told Jazzy’s World TV of the UFC.
“And it was so one-sided that people didn’t think it would work, that it actually worked out to our advantage long-term because we owned a hundred per cent of everything,” he revealed.
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Normally, when you go out and do these deals, the deals we would have had to do if people believed in it, other networks or, you know, whatever it might have been, would have owned a piece of the UFC,” White continued. “And nobody believed. So, we own a hundred per cent of the company. And it ended up working out perfectly for us.”
But as far as his position in the UFC is concerned, don’t expect White to stop wielding his axe of power. Anytime soon, that is.
White talks eventual UFC departure
Senominous with the promotion since his rise with the Octagon leader, White has expressed his intentions to never really back away from his role as CEO in the near future.
“I will never retire. Ever,” White told Tucker Carlson. “I will keep dogging this out until the day I drop dead. I love it, 100 percent. Hopefully, I’ll be 80 years old ringside.
However, beginning his role as boxing promoter this year, White has been cast into the deep end.
Set to partner Alalshik and Khan to promote the fight between the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and WBA super welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
Reports had earlier suggested that Alalshikh was looking at other avenues, but the Saudi leader refused to entertain them and asserted,“My brother Dana will promote this fight. It is the fight of Riyadh Season, and we have a deal with TKO to promote it and it will the biggest fight in boxing…”
