This is an accepted version of this page Dana Frederick White Jr.[2] (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization.

[10] White attended Bishop Gorman High School, where he first met Lorenzo Fertitta, although they did not become close friends until years later.

[13] During this time, he had various jobs, such as laying asphalt, working as a bouncer at an Irish bar, and being a bellhop at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

Through this relationship, White decided he wanted to enter the fight business, and he started a boxing gym in Boston with Welch.

[15] White has stated he left Boston to return to Las Vegas in the early 1990s after being threatened by mobster Whitey Bulger and his associate Kevin Weeks.

[17][18] White had reconnected with the Fertitta brothers after meeting Lorenzo at a mutual friend's wedding; they had not spoken to each other in 10 years prior to this encounter.

[19] It was in Lewis' practices where White met mixed martial artists Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell and ultimately became their manager.

[20][18] While working as a manager for Ortiz and Liddell, White met Bob Meyrowitz, the owner of Semaphore Entertainment Group, the then-parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

When White learned that Meyrowitz was looking to sell the UFC, he contacted his friend Lorenzo Fertitta (an executive and co-founder of Station Casinos, and former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission), to ask if he would be interested in acquiring the company.

[24][25][26] The UFC did not immediately have success after the Zuffa takeover, and by 2004 the Fertittas had invested over $40 million into the company without attaining significant growth or reaching profitability.

[27] White, alongside the Fertittas and television producer Craig Piligian, developed the idea of an MMA-based reality series, The Ultimate Fighter, as an attempt to create interest in the sport.

"[31] He later reversed this stance and in February 2013 the UFC held its first women's bout, featuring Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche.

[44] In 2024, White promoted a card featuring Irish boxer Callum Walsh which was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

[48][49] In 2022, White became a co-owner of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, which owns the properties of Nitro Circus, Nitrocross, and Street League Skateboarding.

[51] After TBS did not renew its deal with Power Slap, the competition began to be aired on the digital streaming platform Rumble.

White bought a mansion in Pine Island Court, Las Vegas, in 2006 from Frank Fertitta III for $1.95 million.

[58] June claimed in the book that, since his success with the UFC, Dana had "turned his back on his family and friends who were there for him when he needed help and support".

[72] In April 2020, White joined a group of industry leaders to help the United States rebuild its economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

[75][76] Speaking on the passing of Adam Yauch, White said: "I seriously haven't been impacted by a death in a long time like I was with the Beastie Boys".

[81] White began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 1998, and stated it had a positive impact on him and made him realize the importance of having ground skills in fighting situations.

[87] During a 2022 New Year's Eve party at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, White and his wife Anne were filmed arguing and then getting into a physical altercation with each other.

[90][91][92] In 2010, White donated $50,000 for a liver transplant to Tuptim Jadnooleum, the daughter of "Kru Nai" Rattanachai, one of the instructors for Tiger Muay Thai and MMA in Phuket, Thailand.

[95][96] In 2024, White donated $50,000 towards the support of victims affected by the attempted assassination of former president Donald J. Trump during a rally held on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.