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| White has a background as an amateur boxer, but he later gave up as an active fighter and did not turn pro. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He owned three gyms in the Las Vegas area, and using his experience in boxing he trained boxers and taught boxercise classes. He also promoted boxing events and managed boxers, eventually including mixed martial arts fighters as his clients.<ref name="usatoday" /> | White has a background as an amateur boxer, but he later gave up as an active fighter and did not turn pro. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He owned three gyms in the Las Vegas area, and using his experience in boxing he trained boxers and taught boxercise classes. He also promoted boxing events and managed boxers, eventually including mixed martial arts fighters as his clients.<ref name="usatoday" /> | ||
| == President of the UFC == | |||
| As a manager for UFC fighters ] and ], White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White soon contacted Lorenzo Fertitta, a childhood friend, an executive at ], and a former commissioner of the ]. Within a month Lorenzo Fertitta and his older brother ] bought the UFC, with White installed as its president.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wickert |first=Marc |title=Dana White and the future of UFC|publisher=Knucklepit.com |date=]}} </ref> White currently owns 10% of ], LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.<ref name="usatoday" /> | As a manager for UFC fighters ] and ], White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White soon contacted Lorenzo Fertitta, a childhood friend, an executive at ], and a former commissioner of the ]. Within a month Lorenzo Fertitta and his older brother ] bought the UFC, with White installed as its president.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wickert |first=Marc |title=Dana White and the future of UFC|publisher=Knucklepit.com |date=]}} </ref> White currently owns 10% of ], LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.<ref name="usatoday" /> | ||
| == Feud with Tito Ortiz == | |||
| ⚫ | White was scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against |
||
| Since White resigned as Ortiz' manager upon becoming president of the UFC, the relationship between the two has degraded significantly, with Ortiz accusing the UFC of not properly promoting him or his matches. "They're not doing a lot of things to promote me, which is fine. That's the way the UFC wants to do it. That's the way they want to hold me down so that when it comes to negotiation time, they can say, 'Look, nobody wants to watch you any more. Nobody wants to see you." Ortiz has also been vocal about his dissatisfaction with his salary, saying it is only a fraction of that made by boxers ] and ]. White, for his part, points out a ] display, prominent billboards in ], and advertisements in ] for Ortiz' match at ]. "Does that sound to you like we're ignoring him or not promoting him?" White also rejects Ortiz' claims about his salary, saying that Ortiz was paid considerably more than what he has said. "It shows you how stupid he is because he doesn't even know how much money he's made. And he made a lot of that for beating up on ]. He's a moron: A complete and total moron. His whole career, he's stepped over a dollar to pick up a dime. I'm sick of him. It's time he started beating up someone other than a nearly 50-year-old Ken Shamrock."<ref>http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-ortiz062807&prov=yhoo&type=lgns</ref> | |||
| == Bad Blood: Exhibition match with Tito == | |||
| ⚫ | White was scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against Ortiz on ], ]. In Ortiz's re-signing with the UFC in 2005, he added a stipulation that he and White would fight in a three-round boxing exhibition, ostensibly "to work out their differences."<ref>{{cite news |last=Hunt |first=Loretta |url=http://www.thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=3373 |title=PM Update - March 5|publisher=The Fight Network |date=] |accessdate=2007-03-25}}</ref> The Nevada State Athletic Commission did not believe this would be an "exhibition" match, and White, in addition to training, had to apply for a fighting licence, which was granted for this one fight. However, Ortiz did not appear at the weigh-in and the fight never occurred. Ortiz called White beforehand, leaving him a message saying he was "letting him off the hook," but White assumed Tito was trying to get him to stop training only to later say he wanted to fight, and did not interpret this to mean Ortiz was actually canceling the match. The members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, several of whom had reservations about sanctioning the match to begin with, were not pleased with Ortiz' backing out of the fight. The NSAC told White they would never again consider allowing the contest, and that furthermore, they did not want White and Ortiz to fight anywhere out of their purview.<ref name="wo">{{cite news |url=http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=19036 |title=Ortiz vs. White result |publisher=Wrestling Observer |date=] |accessdate=2007-03-25}}</ref> | ||
| Ortiz, however, rebutted these claims on NBC Sports and on his official website claiming that White refused to split the revenues 50-50. Ortiz believed he was entitled to a producer credit and 50 percent of revenues since the fight was his idea. Furthermore, Ortiz claims that White agreed to the terms verbally but refused to sign off on them when the time came. ] | Ortiz, however, rebutted these claims on NBC Sports and on his official website claiming that White refused to split the revenues 50-50. Ortiz believed he was entitled to a producer credit and 50 percent of revenues since the fight was his idea. Furthermore, Ortiz claims that White agreed to the terms verbally but refused to sign off on them when the time came. ] | ||
| ==Personal life== | == Personal life == | ||
| White and his wife Anne have two sons, Dana III and Aidan.<ref name="usatoday" /> | White and his wife Anne have two sons, Dana III and Aidan.<ref name="usatoday" /> | ||
| During the "Dana vs. Tito" documentary, Dana admitted to losing his hearing in his left ear during a fight in his younger years. | During the "Dana vs. Tito" documentary, Dana admitted to losing his hearing in his left ear during a fight in his younger years. | ||
| =="F-Bombs"== | == "F-Bombs" == | ||
| Dana White is known to use rather strong language, |
Dana White is known to use rather strong language, in his everyday professional life and particularly when he is giving a speech or talking to his fighters. | ||
| Examples: | Examples: | ||
| * "Do you wanna be a fucking fighter?!" | * "Do you wanna be a fucking fighter?!" | ||
| Line 29: | Line 37: | ||
| * Gentry, Clyde. ''No Holds Barred''. | * Gentry, Clyde. ''No Holds Barred''. | ||
| * | * | ||
| *Yahoo! Sports MMA/Boxing columnist Kevin Iole, interviews with Dana White and Tito Ortiz] | |||
| {{wikiquote|Dana White}} | {{wikiquote|Dana White}} | ||
Revision as of 19:06, 9 July 2007
Dana White (born 1969 in Manchester, Connecticut) is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.
Biography
Born in Manchester, Connecticut, White grew up in Las Vegas, Boston and Levant, Maine. He attended University of Massachusetts, Boston for two years.
White has a background as an amateur boxer, but he later gave up as an active fighter and did not turn pro. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He owned three gyms in the Las Vegas area, and using his experience in boxing he trained boxers and taught boxercise classes. He also promoted boxing events and managed boxers, eventually including mixed martial arts fighters as his clients.
President of the UFC
As a manager for UFC fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White soon contacted Lorenzo Fertitta, a childhood friend, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month Lorenzo Fertitta and his older brother Frank Fertitta III bought the UFC, with White installed as its president. White currently owns 10% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers created to own and manage the UFC.
Feud with Tito Ortiz
Since White resigned as Ortiz' manager upon becoming president of the UFC, the relationship between the two has degraded significantly, with Ortiz accusing the UFC of not properly promoting him or his matches. "They're not doing a lot of things to promote me, which is fine. That's the way the UFC wants to do it. That's the way they want to hold me down so that when it comes to negotiation time, they can say, 'Look, nobody wants to watch you any more. Nobody wants to see you." Ortiz has also been vocal about his dissatisfaction with his salary, saying it is only a fraction of that made by boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr.. White, for his part, points out a Times Square display, prominent billboards in Las Vegas, and advertisements in USA Today for Ortiz' match at UFC 73. "Does that sound to you like we're ignoring him or not promoting him?" White also rejects Ortiz' claims about his salary, saying that Ortiz was paid considerably more than what he has said. "It shows you how stupid he is because he doesn't even know how much money he's made. And he made a lot of that for beating up on Shamrock. He's a moron: A complete and total moron. His whole career, he's stepped over a dollar to pick up a dime. I'm sick of him. It's time he started beating up someone other than a nearly 50-year-old Ken Shamrock."
Bad Blood: Exhibition match with Tito
White was scheduled to make his professional boxing debut against Ortiz on March 24, 2007. In Ortiz's re-signing with the UFC in 2005, he added a stipulation that he and White would fight in a three-round boxing exhibition, ostensibly "to work out their differences." The Nevada State Athletic Commission did not believe this would be an "exhibition" match, and White, in addition to training, had to apply for a fighting licence, which was granted for this one fight. However, Ortiz did not appear at the weigh-in and the fight never occurred. Ortiz called White beforehand, leaving him a message saying he was "letting him off the hook," but White assumed Tito was trying to get him to stop training only to later say he wanted to fight, and did not interpret this to mean Ortiz was actually canceling the match. The members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, several of whom had reservations about sanctioning the match to begin with, were not pleased with Ortiz' backing out of the fight. The NSAC told White they would never again consider allowing the contest, and that furthermore, they did not want White and Ortiz to fight anywhere out of their purview.
Ortiz, however, rebutted these claims on NBC Sports and on his official website claiming that White refused to split the revenues 50-50. Ortiz believed he was entitled to a producer credit and 50 percent of revenues since the fight was his idea. Furthermore, Ortiz claims that White agreed to the terms verbally but refused to sign off on them when the time came. ]
Personal life
White and his wife Anne have two sons, Dana III and Aidan. During the "Dana vs. Tito" documentary, Dana admitted to losing his hearing in his left ear during a fight in his younger years.
"F-Bombs"
Dana White is known to use rather strong language, in his everyday professional life and particularly when he is giving a speech or talking to his fighters. Examples:
- "Do you wanna be a fucking fighter?!"
- "You guys are supposed to be professional fucking athletes..."
- "Not making weight? That is fucking pathetic."
References
- ^ McCarthy, Michael (2005-04-10). "Battles yield winning 'Fighter'". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Wickert, Marc (2004). "Dana White and the future of UFC". Knucklepit.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) Mirror - http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-ortiz062807&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
- Hunt, Loretta (2007-03-05). "PM Update - March 5". The Fight Network. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Ortiz vs. White result". Wrestling Observer. 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
- Gentry, Clyde. No Holds Barred.
- Tito Ortiz Discusses Dana White & The UFC
- Yahoo! Sports MMA/Boxing columnist Kevin Iole, interviews with Dana White and Tito Ortiz]