Thereās no longer life post-UFC for Dana White after nearly departing alongside the Fertittas when the company was purchased by WME-IMG in 2017.
The MMA leader was sold by Zuffa LLC helmed by Loreno and Frank Fertitta with White for a historic $4 billion that very year. Change for the UFC was a guarantee going forward, it was just a matter of how drastic it would be.
According to White when speaking on The Pivot Podcast , it was very close to being the end of his time as the frontman of the promotion, too.
āIt was actually a really bad time for me, I didnāt want to do it,ā White said of the deal. āThe Fertittas were ready to get out and they had a sit down with me. They were basically like, āWe have everybody in here going through with the deal.ā Everybody was in here kicking the tires looking to buy it. From ESPN to Turner to all these different funds and groups from all over the world. They sat me down and said, āWeāre gonna sell this thing and weāre ready to go but nobody will take it unless you stay so you have to do this.ā
āI was kind of in a weird place because I had done this thing with them, these are my best friends, weād done it together and I got a little f***** up. I took off for a while, went up into a hotel room, and didnāt 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.ā
Imagining the UFC without White in charge certainly seems like an impossibility at this stage and it very likely is after going through such an experience.
The UFC has only grown to find greater and greater success with each passing year and it doesnāt appear to be slowing down any time soon according to the boss himself. If White had left the UFC when the opportunity presented itself, he may not have vanished from MMA or combat sports entirely as some other past figures have. There was the attempt at Zuffa Boxing after all, which could always still be a thing eventually. But as White has made it clear over the years, as well as in very recent times, boxing is a trickier pool to dive into than where he already finds himself swimming within the MMA landscape.
White doesnāt need to keep working and would have been well off financially had he decided against maintaining his role during the sale. Yet here we are in 2022 and he now has no intentions of leaving his spot as UFC President. Ever.
āThe sale happened and what I was saying was if I have to stay, donāt put me with some f***** up group of people,ā White said. āAri [Emanuel] was going at this thing hard and I wanted to be with Ari so it worked out perfect and Ariās been incredible to work with. It couldnāt have turned out any better. I still love it, Iām still having a blast. I get over my little phase, the money hits the bank and itās a weird thing. I had already had money for 15 years but then you get that kind of money.
āI donāt walk away [at this point]. 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 Iām doing so theyāre probably gonna have to come f****** drag me out of here. I donāt see myself walking away from this.ā
Dana often lies and smudges truths, but I already pictured it exactly like he is describing, so easy to believe. From the doubts to renewed passion.
Women go through big changes in life and chop off their hair, or have a promiscuous phase. I wonder which one Dana did.
Is there anyone on Earth more self-important than this guy?
I donāt believe he would walk away from the payout and also the percent ownership with the new partners,way too much $,he also has his own ventures,speaking engagements,and shit itd be cool if he wrote a book on how it made this happen from beginning to now,his methods,his most difficult negotiations,shit like that,how he got companies on board,Iād love to know all the little details,but I definitely canāt see him allowing anyone else to take his place he has quite the ego,but shit he earned it and made it happen without his own money
whether he stayed or left he was going to bank $300M+ā¦ he just didnt want a new boss. but ultimately he preferred the 10% of profits salary he got with the new guy
lol surprised he didnāt squeeze in how he took on the whole world and covid (or maybe he did, didnāt watch it).
still love the freak though. getting nuttier and looking more like june as the years go by!
āwme will bankrupt ufc, and go outta bizā
-me, years ago
Possible since the UFC is whatās keeping WME afloat. If Dana ever did leave the stock would crater.
China $ could always step in to save the UFC.
NOBODY handled the Covid thing better than Dana and the UFC - and BLM/SJW stuff. Major props to them for that.
Ari cant resist sticking his beak in right now though
Ask petr yan
Whereās SinCityHustler when you need him?!?!
Whatās the story there?
The clear anti-russian bias in that decision