Dana White is an American businessmanPresident of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. White is renowned for his exemplary and efficient leadership in the UFC, which has transformed the martial arts into a multi-billion dollar global corporation. He has received multiple awards including Promoter of the Year and World MMA Awards. Here’s everything you want to know about him.
Dana White Biography (Age)
Dana Frederick White Jr. was born on July 28, 1969 in Manchester, Connecticut to June and Dana White. For most of his childhood, he and his only sister, Kelly, were raised by their mother and family. He is said to be of Irish descent.
White entered the world of fighting at age 17 when he began boxing in 1987 and finished high school at Hermon High School in Maine.
From amateur boxer to entrepreneur Dana White failed to become one of the most influential men in the world. He lived in Boston, where he worked, among other things, as a bouncer to earn a decent living.
White left the University of Massachusetts after two years to try a boxing business. Eventually, he started a boxing program for inner-city kids and a boxing aerobics business. He was doing reasonably well in the 1990s until threats from the Irish mob reportedly drove him out of town to Las Vegas. White said he left everything he had when they tried to get money ($2,500) from him.
The Fertittas bought an 81% stake in the UFC in January 2001 for $2 million and named White president. The brothers also formed Zuffa, LLC, a sports promotion company, to oversee their MMA organization, of which White is also credited as its president, and to own 9% of the company. Under their joint leadership (the Fertitta and White), the UFC secured sanctioning for fights in Nevada and made Las Vegas the headquarters of the company that has since grown into a multinational empire.
As President of the UFC
White, like the President of UFC, is described as being blunt and forward, oblivious to whose ox is gored. A formidable opponent that has made UFC the undisputed champion of the MMA world and has over 100 training facilities worldwide. Fighting in 175 countries and media coverage in more than a billion homes.
When UFC was sold to talent agency WME-IMG for $4 billion in July 2016, White continued as president. A year later, in May 2017, it was announced that he would be holding Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series each month on UFC Fight Pass; with the aim of finding talent for the company.
White also got involved in boxing and helped promote the mega fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor as the latter later goes on to be a fighter for UFC. He later announced his intention to add boxing to the UFC’s portfolio of companies. He said he’s 100 percent into boxing and is in the process of getting his promoter’s license.
Under his leadership, the UFC launched the famous The Ultimate Fighter, TUF Championship, which sees potential UFC fighters compete for a six-figure contract. The company also acquired PRIDE, the Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company, on May 25, 2007. Although PRIDE Worldwide closed its office in Japan on October 4, 2007.
So far in Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier, The UFC is reportedly the first Dana White he’s ever missed in his years in advertising.
Family: wife, son and daughter
Dana White has been married to his wife Anne White since 1996 and the couple have three children, two sons: Dana and Aidan; and daughter Savannah. The family currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Anne and her children mostly stay out of the public eye, so photos of the couple are rarely seen in public.
Wealth (income and earnings)
The sports promoter, who has been in the UFC for decades, has amassed a net worth of $500 million. His annual salary is $20 million, which is not surprising considering he owns 9 percent of the UFC. His salary in 2017 is said to be the highest for a non-fighter in the UFC.
His pre-tax stake in the company is reportedly worth $360 million after the UFC was sold for $4 billion. But White is also a philanthropist, and one of his notable acts was donating $100,000 to his high school in 2011 for the renovation of its athletic facilities.
body stats
Dana White stands at a height of 1.8 m, at this height he weighs 88 kg. His is bald and has a hazel eye.
White announced that he has been diagnosed with a neurological disorder called Ménière and is receiving appropriate medical attention for it.