UFC president Dana White is as much a fixture of the MMA world as the cage itself. White has presided over the surge in MMA’s popularity, but recently revealed on The Pivot Podcast that he considered leaving the organization he helped build back in 2017. With his business partners the Fertitta brothers leaving upon the UFC’s purchase by WME-IMG, Dana White almost parted ways with the UFC.
“It was actually a really bad time for me, I didn’t want to do it. The Fertittas were ready to get out and they had a sit down with me. They were basically like, ‘We have everybody in here going through with the deal.’ Everybody was in here kicking the tires looking to buy it.
Dana White Nearly Left the UFC During WME Purchase
From ESPN to Turner to all these different funds and groups from all over the world. They sat me down and said, ‘We’re gonna sell this thing and we’re ready to go but nobody will take it unless you stay so you have to do this.’
I was kind of in a weird place because I had done this thing with them, these are my best friends, we’d done it together and I got a little f***** up. I took off for a while, went up into a hotel room, and didn’t come out for a few days. I was a little f***** up over the whole thing. Then I snapped out of it and got my s*** together.”
Ever since, the UFC has only grown bigger year after year. Despite ongoing controversy surrounding the sport and Dana White himself – from the early days of politicians calling it “human cockfighting” to recent backlash surrounding fighter pay – the UFC president is showing no signs of departure.
“The sale happened and what I was saying was if I have to stay, don’t put me with some f***** up group of people. Ari [Emanuel] was going at this thing hard and I wanted to be with Ari so it worked out perfect and Ari’s been incredible to work with. It couldn’t have turned out any better.
I still love it, I’m still having a blast. I get over my little phase, the money hits the bank and it’s a weird thing. I had already had money for 15 years but then you get that kind of money.
I don’t walk away. Going through that transition with the Fertittas to WME was a good experience for me and it reminded me how much I really love this business and love what I’m doing so they’re probably gonna have to come f****** drag me out of here.
I don’t see myself walking away from this.” Would the UFC look different without Dana White as president? Let us know in the comments.
