Dana White was greeted warmly as he attended the NBA Playoffs between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks

UFC President Dana White was in attendance in the final game of the NBA Playoffs series between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks and Celtics faced off in a winner-take-all game seven Thursday night, with the series locked at 3-3. The Celtics triumphed 109-81 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, facing the Miami Heat.

White moved to Las Vegas after an infamous run-in with the gang of a local mobster, Whitey Bulger, over an amount of $2500. He rejoined with his old pals, the Fertitta brothers and the trio bought the UFC, which was a struggling business, after working briefly in a boxing club in Vegas and even managing a few MMA fighters.

Dana White’s first foray into the realm of mixed martial arts

Dana White worked as a manager for Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell before becoming the CEO of the world’s largest MMA organization. While learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu from MMA legend John Lewis, White met the pair.

Ortiz became the UFC light heavyweight champion under his tutelage. After White and the Fertittas bought the promotion and the former was named president of the organization, their friendship worsened.

 

Since their split, Ortiz and White have scarcely spoken, to the point where a boxing bout between the two was mooted and came close to becoming a reality.

In contrast to his tetchy relationship with Ortiz, White’s relationship with Liddell has been a complete antithesis. Liddell became a champion in the promotion, and he fought Ortiz three times during his professional career. To this day, ‘The Iceman’ can be seen at UFC events.

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