MMA
Did Dana White of the UFC Ever Serve in the Military?
Learn about UFC president Dana White's background and whether he has any military experience, along with his path to leading the world of mixed martial arts.
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Dana White is one of the most famous sports promoters/managers on the planet, and he's had to work extremely hard to get to where he is today.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship president has gained the respect of everyone in the combat sport world not just for putting an entire sport on the map, but also because of the way he conducts himself.
White has been known for his no-nonsense approach to things ever since he began working in the UFC. You can even see it in the very early seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, he has a very regimented personality which instantly gains the respect of the fighters and other promoters.
While his approach is somewhat military-like, he has never actually served in the military, although it may seem like it.
Dana White's Background
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Dana White's upbringing probably has something to do with the way he carries himself. White was born in Manchester, Connecticut, into a modest household that wasn't without its financial struggles.
During his teen years, White would attend multiple high-schools, including one in Las Vegas, which just so happened to be the birthplace of the UFC. During his early years, he was quite an athlete and he had dreams of doing something in boxing. And it was his love for boxing that drove him onto a path that would ultimately lead him to the MMA world.
After high-school, White would enrol into the University of Massachusetts but he dropped out after just one semester. It was at this point where he would begin to get involved on the combat sports circuit. He would become a boxing trainer in a gym in that area, as well as managing a few of the local upcoming fighters.
He would eventually move to Las Vegas, founding Dana White Enterprises by setting up his own boxing gym, and his role as a boxing coach and manager began to evolve into something bigger.
With all of the hands-on experience White was exposed to through his early adulthood, this gave him all of the knowledge about the fight business with things like how to negotiate contracts and how to manage several fighters under one stable. Of course, this would later prove to be invaluable experience.
Dana White's Path Into MMA
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While Dana White was heavily involved in local boxing, by pure chance he somehow found himself reconnecting with two of his childhood friends, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. By this point, the Fertitta brothers were very wealthy casino owners, and they had a passion for combat sports.
A few years later in 2001, it became known to White that the Ultimate Fighting Championship was struggling financially and on the brink of collapse. During this time, MMA was far less popular than it is nowadays and it's largely thanks to what White did next.
White would approach the Fertitta brothers about an opportunity to buy the UFC, and the trio would come together to buy the company for $2 million. Lorenzo Fertitta would serve as the CEO, with Dana White being the president.
Before anybody could think about making any profit from a future sale, they first needed to stop the sinking ship by making the company more appealing to fans. The Unified Rules of MMA, which were introduced in the early 2000's, helped make the sport more professional and safer.
The next step was to create some excitement around the company, and this came about when the three businessmen had an idea to create a reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter”.
The Ultimate Fighter show would get signed to a TV deal by Spike in the mid 2000's, and ever since then, MMA's audience has continued to grow to the point where it is now considered one of the biggest sports in the world, despite it being one of the youngest sports.
In 2016, the Fertitta brothers sold the company to WME-IMG for $4 billion, but Dana White has still stayed on as the president of the company. It is remarkable to think what White has done for the world of MMA in just two decades.
Jake Staniland is a sports writer who excels in covering a wide range of sports: football, combat sports and the NFL - All three subjects are his lifelong passions.
Jake is a boyhood Sheffield United fan, which is often a curse that he thanks his family for. His favourite Blades player ever is Billy Sharp