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The Rise Of Dana White, From Ufc To Trump's Inner Circle And Meta's Board
UFC CEO Dana White with President-elect Donald Trump at an election night watch party.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
- Dana White grew the UFC into a multibillion-dollar company after acquiring it in 2001.
- In that time, White also became a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump.
- Now, he is joining Meta's board of directors.
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White has been on quite the journey over the last two decades.
From managing MMA fighters to appearing at the Republican National Convention three times to support President-elect Donald Trump, White has become a global figure in both sports and politics.
And now he's entered the sphere of Big Tech, joining the board of directors at Mark Zuckerberg's Meta.
Here's how White went from a small-time trainer to the board of one of the world's most influential tech companies in just a few years.
White purchases the UFC in 2001 for $2 million.White purchased the UFC for $2 million with his childhood friends, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.
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White started out as a boxing trainer in Las Vegas and then Boston before shifting focus to mixed martial arts, he told Forbes in a 2014 interview.
Eventually, White managed MMA fighters who participated in UFC bouts, which resulted in a contract dispute with the UFC. White told the outlet that the contract dispute motivated him to find a way to beat the UFC.
His plan involved two of his childhood friends, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.
"I ended up finding that out, that they're in trouble, and they're probably going to go out of business," White said, referring to the UFC. "And I'd been to a [UFC] event, and I was looking around and thinking, 'Imagine if they did this, and imagine if they did that. This thing could actually be really big.'"
So, White said, he called his friends and suggested that together they try to buy the UFC.
The brothers founded Zuffa, LLC and purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001. White took over as president and received a 9% stake. He then began to turn the company into an MMA juggernaut.
That year, White hosted a UFC battle at the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal casino and resort in Atlantic City.
White told The Hill in 2018 that the UFC's popularity grew, in part, because of Trump's early support. When he first purchased the UFC, the company, as well as mixed martial arts more broadly, the sport faced criticism for its violent fighting style.
"Any good thing that happened to me in my career, Donald Trump was the first to pick up the phone and call and say 'congratulations,'" he told the outlet.
White takes the UFC mainstream.White poses with fighter Ronda Rousey in 2014.
Tibrina Hobson/WireImage/Getty Images
Under its new leadership, the UFC gradually became a mainstream success. MMA stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey attracted more attention to the sport, which led to more ticket sales and higher revenue.
In 2016, the company said it raked in $17.7 million in ticket sales, and over 20,400 guests attended UFC 205, its inaugural event in New York City. UFC 306, held last September in Las Vegas, generated $22 million in ticket sales.
The official UFC website said its programming is now broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to over one billion households worldwide. BetMGM, a sports betting partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain Holding, valued the UFC at $12 billion in November 2024.
White faces controversy as head of the UFC.White has led the UFC for over two decades.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
White's time with the UFC hasn't been seamless. Some fighters have accused White of underpaying them.
Last October, a Las Vegas judge approved a class action settlement that requires the UFC to pay $375 million to fighters who accused the UFC, and its parent company, of violating antitrust laws to block rival promoters and maintain exclusive deals with fighters. The UFC and White have denied any wrongdoing.
Some also criticized White for his push to hold UFC events during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and after a video published by TMZ showed him slapping his wife, Anne White, in 2023.
The UFC is sold in a multibillion-dollar deal.President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk attended UFC 309 on November 16, 2024.
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The Fertitta brothers sold the UFC in 2016 for just under $4 billion. White remained its president after the sale and became CEO in 2023 after the UFC's parent company merged with WWE to create TKO Group Holdings.
White remains the face of the UFC, which often attracts celebrities and other big-name figures to events. Trump attended UFC 309 after winning the presidential election in November. Elon Musk, Kid Rock, and Joe Rogan also appeared.
Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon's Jeff Bezos have also attended UFC fights.
White told The Hill in 2018 that he would "never say anything negative about Donald Trump because he was there when other people weren't."
White joins Trump's inner circle.White is an ardent supporter of Trump.
Brendan Gutenschwager/Anadolu via Getty Images
White has advocated for Trump and his political positions since the beginning of the president-elect's political career. He spoke onstage during the 2016 Republican National Convention, appeared virtually in 2020, and again at the most recent convention in 2024.
White has also appeared at Trump campaign events and gave a speech during Trump's 2024 presidential election night event.
"Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does. This is what happens when the machine comes after you," White said, according to The Hill.
White called Trump a "fighter."
"I'm in the tough guy business, and this man is the toughest, most resilient human being that I've ever met in my life," he said, standing among Trump's family.
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta appoints White to its board of directors.White and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended a UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Meta announced in January that White and two others would join its board of directors.
"I've never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta's board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future," White said in a statement. "I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level."
Zuckerberg's interest in MMA and the UFC has helped foster a relationship between the two men. Like White, Zuckerberg has also supported Trump and his policy positions. Zuckerberg recently announced Meta would roll back DEI efforts and dial back content moderation.
Zuckerberg told Rogan on his podcast last week that he is "optimistic" about Trump's potential impact on American businesses.
Representatives for the UFC did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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