Who is Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship President?

Who is Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship President?

Kenneth Mwenda
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:15 PM

Dana White has quickly grown the UFC from a small business to a multibillion-dollar corporation. Under his leadership, the company has expanded and dominated the MMA world. He is not only the President but also a shareholder in the company. He is one of the franchise's longest-serving characters.

Who is Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship President?
Dana speaks to the media following week 3 of Dana White Contender Series on August 9, 2022, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Photo: Amy Kaplan
Source: Getty Images

He is a sports promoter and businessman from the United States. Dana is best known as the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), an MMA organisation.

Dana White's profile and bio summary

Name

Dana Frederick White Jr.

Date of Birth

July 28, 1969

Place of Birth

Manchester, Connecticut, USA

Age

53 years (November 2022)

Height

1.8 m

Ethnicity

Irish American

Nationality

United States

Position

UFC President

Net worth

$500 million

Salary

$20 million per year

Residence

Las Vegas, Nevada

Marital Status

Married

Wife

Anne

Children

3

Social media

Twitter, Instagram

Dana White's age

On July 28, 1969, White was born in Manchester, Connecticut, to June and Dana White Sr. He is currently 53 years of age (November 2022). He spent much of his childhood in Ware, Massachusetts.

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What is Dana White's height?

According to reports in 2022, the American business and family man stands 1.8 metres tall and weighs around 88 kilogrammes.

Dana White's family

June and Dana White Sr. raised him. For the most part, him and his sister, Kelly, were raised by their mother. Their mother was a nurse, and when he was in third grade, the family relocated to Las Vegas, where nurses were paid more.

In 2011, his mother, June, published Dana White, King of MMA: An Unauthorised Biography. June claimed in the book that Dana had "turned his back on his family and friends who were there for him when he needed help and support" since his success with the UFC.

Dana's wife's name is Anne; the couple married on November 8, 1996, and they have two sons and a daughter. Although the President of the UFC prefers to keep personal matters private, Dana White's wife was his high school friend.

Dana White and Jake Paul
Actress Halle Berry (L) and UFC President Dana interact with media during a Q&A session at UFC APEX on March 4, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Jeff Bottari
Source: Getty Images

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

White started out as a manager for Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. When he learned that Meyrowitz was looking to sell the UFC, he contacted a childhood friend, Lorenzo Fertitta (an executive and co-founder of Station Casinos) and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission), to see if he would be interested in purchasing the company.

Lorenzo and his older brother Frank purchased the UFC for $2 million in January 2001, and it later became a subsidiary of Zuffa. White was appointed President of the company and has held the position ever since.

Zuffa was sold for $4.025 billion to a consortium of investors led by William Morris Endeavor (WME) in July 2016. At the time of the sale, the President owned 9% of the company. He retained his position as President and was given a stake in the new company.

Joe Rogan, like Dana, has been a long-time employee of the UFC. For more than two decades, the popular comedian and podcaster have been a fixture on the UFC's broadcast desk. He once stated that once Dana is gone, he will be done with UFC work.

Dana White Contender Series

Dana White's wife
UFC president Dana announces the contract winners during the Contender Series season six, week ten at UFC APEX on September 27, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Chris Unger
Source: Getty Images

The UFC announced in May 2017 that the President would host the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. The Tuesday Night Contender Series is an American MMA promotion that airs on UFC Fight Pass.

The event is only available through UFC Fight Pass, the promotion's digital streaming service, and has been licenced independently from the UFC brand. The show allows aspiring fighters to showcase their skills in the hopes of one day making it to the UFC.

Controversies

In 2009, the UFC President used derogatory and explicit language toward reporter Loretta Hunt after she published a story about him that irritated him. When referring to the sources of her reports, he used anti-gay slurs. GLAAD demanded that White and the UFC apologise for the anti-gay slur, which he did.

Dana White and Jake Paul feud

Dana White and Jake Paul
Jake Paul (L) exchanges strikes with Anderson Silva of Brazil during their cruiserweight bout at Desert Diamond Arena on October 29, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. Photo: Christian Petersen
Source: Getty Images

Dana White has faced allegations about how he has run the franchise. Over the past year, Jake Paul has challenged him to improve conditions for UFC fighters, while White has maintained the feud by criticising the calibre of Paul's opponents.

The UFC boss also predicted that Jake Paul would lose to Silva, and Jake prefers to fight old guys who are too small and completely washed up. However, the inverse occurred, and Dana was forced to eat his words.

Accolades

In 2009, White was named Nevada Sportsman of the Year. He won Promoter of the Year at the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards nine years in a row.

From 2008 to 2019, he was also named Leading Man of the Year at the World MMA Awards. In addition, White received the Patriot Award from the Armed Forces Foundation in 2019.

How much is Dana White worth?

In August 2019, his net worth was estimated at $500 million. His salary is estimated to be $20 million per annum. With the enormous estimated net worth, the UFC President has bought several fancy mansions in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the fall of 2016, White bought three massive houses in Las Vegas' wealthy Tournament Hills enclave.

Dana White's wife
Actress Halle Berry is seen on stage with UFC president Dana during the UFC 268 ceremonial weigh-in at The Hulu Theater on November 05, 2021 in New York City. Photo: Chris Unger
Source: Getty Images

Social media presence

Dana White is a big fan of social media, where he shares his thoughts and photos with his fans. As of November 2022, the UFC boss has garnered over six million followers on Twitter and over 7.8 million on Instagram.

The UFC has dominated the mixed-martial arts world under Dana White's leadership, with fights in 175 countries and over 100 training facilities. The pay-per-view fights have reached over a billion households and remain popular in Las Vegas.

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Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.