What Are Dana White’s Earnings and Net Worth?
Dana White is a $500 million dollar businessman and sports promoter from the United States. The most well-known role of Dana White is that of President of the mixed martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Dana controlled 9% of the UFC when it was sold to William Morris Endeavor (WME) in 2016 for a $4 billion sum. Previously, he had sold the Fertitta brothers (billionaire casino magnates) the majority of the company. Dana received almost $360 million from the deal after taxes were deducted.
Under his direction, the UFC went from being a small, struggling business to a major force in mixed martial arts (MMA), and he is largely responsible for the sport’s global popularization. Under his leadership, the UFC has increased its fan base and earnings significantly, signed lucrative media and sponsorship deals, and expanded into overseas markets.
The emergence of starfighters and White’s aggressive marketing tactics have been essential in bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) to the attention of the general public. He has played a significant role in setting up some of the most well-known bouts in the sport’s history, helping to establish the UFC as the top organization. In addition to completely changing the public perception of MMA, White’s actions were important in professionalizing and regulating the sport.
In addition to his achievements with the UFC, White has launched Zuffa Boxing and participated in a number of charitable endeavours. He is well-known in the sports world thanks to his candid demeanour and hands-on style. He frequently makes news for his audacious choices and contributions to the expansion of mixed martial arts.
Childhood
On July 28, 1969, Dana Frederick White Jr. was born in Manchester, Connecticut, and became Dana White. He is June and Dana White’s son. Dana’s mother and grandparents reared him and his sister Kelly for the most part. His early years were spent travelling back and forth between Maine and Las Vegas. Growing up, White was heavily active in sports, especially boxing, and he has always been a Boston Red Sox baseball fan. In 1987, he received his diploma from Hermon High School in Maine.
Early Professional Life
White continued his education at the University of Massachusetts, but he left early. He started a boxing program for inner-city kids who were at risk while he was there. He also became an aerobics instructor around this time to supplement his income. He eventually moved to Las Vegas full-time, where he founded Dana White Enterprises in 1992.
During this period, he started overseeing the fighters, Chuck Lidell and Tito Ortiz. White broadened his views by learning about various fighting techniques, such as Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts, which eventually came to define the UFC.
Fortunately for White, he had grown up with Lorenzo Fertitta, a business partner from high school who became well-known as an executive at Station Casinos, a chain of hotels and casinos. When the two got back together at a wedding in the middle of the 1990s, they bonded over their passion for boxing and said they wanted to collaborate in the future.
The UFC
White got involved in conflicts with the UFC while overseeing athletes. He discovered that the UFC’s parent business, Semaphore Entertainment Group, was bankrupt after investigating their accounts. After hearing the news, White went to talk to Lorenzo Fertitta, a friend from childhood, about making an offer.
Lorenzo struck a deal to purchase the UFC as soon as he saw there was money to be made. Lorenzo also asked Frank, his older brother, to join in the fun. In 2001, the Fertitta brothers invested a total of $2 million to acquire an 81% ownership position in the UFC. White was nominated president quite quickly. Having acquired the UFC a few years prior, White and his group have transformed the once-illegal and violent organization into a global sensation.
Even after the company was sold, White kept up his role as president. He has been successful in growing the sport’s following and transforming it into a multibillion-dollar industry. In May 2017, the UFC declared that White would serve as the host of a program titled “Dana White’s Contender Series.” The program may only be accessed via UFC Fight Pass, the organization’s digital streaming service. It includes young fighters who have the chance to show off their abilities with the hopes of one day joining the UFC. On March 18, 2019, White said that he had recently inked a new deal with ESPN that will keep him as the president of the UFC for an additional seven years.
White made his slap-fighting competition debut in January 2023 with “Power Slap.” TBS apparently decided to cancel it.
WME acquires UFC
Dana held nine per cent of the UFC before he sold the business. In May 2016, the Fertitta brothers were reportedly in advanced talks to sell the UFC for as much as $6 billion. At such a valuation, Dana’s 9% interest would have been valued at $540 million. It was confirmed in July 2016 that talent agency WME-IMG had purchased the UFC for $4 billion. For Dana, that’s $360 million before taxes.
WWE and UFC combined to form a new public business called Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG) in 2023. White remained the UFC president during this time.
Disputes
When reporter Loretta Hunt published a story on him in 2009 that offended him, White responded with profanity and abuse. He disparaged the sources of her information with anti-gay epithets. White later issued an apology for the anti-gay slur when GLAAD demanded that he and the UFC do so.
White and his spouse were observed fighting during a 2023 New Year’s Eve celebration at a nightclub in Mexico. He gave her a slap back after Anne had hit him. It was also captured on camera. Both accepted responsibility, blaming alcohol for their misdeeds and extended their regret.
Individual Life
White and his wife Anne have been married since 1996. They met in the eighth grade. The couple has a daughter named Savannah and two sons, Aidan and Dana III. White would rather keep his personal life private.
White revealed in May 2012 that he had been diagnosed with Ménière’s illness, a neurological condition he says was mostly caused by a fight he had as a young man. He was found to have abnormalities and abnormally high triglyceride levels in 2022. Since then, he claimed, he has followed a ketogenic diet, which has corrected his sleep apnea and reduced his leg pain.
White was a fierce advocate for Donald Trump during his initial presidential campaign, even going so far as to give a speech at the Cleveland, Ohio, RNC in 2016. White once more offered his support to Trump during his 2020 reelection campaign, sharing at rallies and interviews that Trump was among the UFC’s early backers and that he granted permission for one of the organization’s first significant events to occur at one of his properties.
In 2010, White gave Tuptim Jadnooleum—the daughter of a Tiger Muay Thai instructor—a $50,000 liver donation. In 2011, he gave $100,000 to fund repairs at his previous high school.
Property
In 2006, Dana White paid $1.95 million for a house on Las Vegas’ Pine Island Court. Then, between October 2016 and June 2017, he spent a total of about $6.2 million purchasing three more properties in the same neighbourhood. After the houses’ demolition licenses were granted, White and his family moved into an opulent mega-mansion in Las Vegas.
Accolades In 2009, White was named Nevada Sportsman of the Year. At the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards, he was the nine-time winner of Promoter of the Year. From 2008 until 2019, White won the title of Leading Man of the Year at the World MMA Awards each year. In 2019, White received the Patriot Award from the Armed Forces Foundation.
