He turned in an impressive showing against MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba at PRIDE 2, landing a hard punch in the opening seconds to stagger Sakuraba and fighting very competitively, showcasing excellent submission defense and escapes throughout the fight until he was finally caught in an armbar late in round 3.
From 1998 to 2002, White found great success in mixed martial arts competition, compiling a record of 9-1 and winning the King of the Cage Middleweight Championship.
White defended the title four times before losing a decision to MMA pioneer Jeremy Horn.
He evolved into one of the more talented and well known mixed martial arts fighters in the world and developed excellent striking to go along with a solid submission wrestling base.
White appeared on the April 7, 1997 airing of the World Wrestling Federation program Raw Is War, losing a worked 'shoot fight' to his Lion’s Den mentor Ken Shamrock.