Dana White once had a strict policy against accepting seemingly ordinary requests from UFC fighters, no matter how strong they were in MMA at the time.
White, UFC president and CEO, bought the company with the Fertitta brothers in 2001 and turned the struggling promotion, which was banned in several U.S. states, into one of the world's largest sports organizations. changed.
Last year, sports and entertainment group Endeavor completed the $21bn (£16.6bn) merger of UFC and WWE, creating a new combined company called TKO Group Holdings.
Following the deal, White's net worth is now estimated at more than $500 million (£396 million).
White opened up about his time leading the company and revealed that he had strict rules for all his fighters.
Speaking on the Pound4Pound podcast with former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, White said: “When I was building this business, I had a blanket policy.
“I didn't go to anyone's fucking wedding. It didn't matter who you were or how close you were.”
White even admitted that he even changed the birth of his son to attend a UFC event.
“My son Aiden, his due date was against Chuck Liddell. I moved his birthday to accommodate the Chuck Liddell fight,” White added.
“Yeah, I said, 'That's not going to work, there's a big fight coming up. So my wife had a C-section…We're going to have to, we've got to get him out of there. That’s what works for me, so hurry up.”
Dana White is CEO and President of UFC (Image: Getty)
Although White was reluctant to attend the weddings of his UFC fighters, it was actually at such events that he got his big break in the fight game.
In an interview with Big Boy, White revealed that Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta met at a childhood friend's wedding before they jointly bought the UFC.
“I'm going to a wedding. Who am I going to see? Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. I haven't seen them since high school,” White said.
“They came up to me and said, 'I heard you were into boxing.'” Lorenzo said to me, “I just joined the Nevada State Athletic Commission. I'd love to work with you. I want to come to train at.''
“So Lorenzo comes to train with me on Monday. We've been together ever since. It's the only wedding I attend. If I didn't go to that wedding, where would Lorenzo be?” Have you encountered Fertitta?”
Featured image credit: Getty & UFC
Topic: Dana White, UFC, MMA
