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Dana White (born July 28, 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. White is a fierce Boston Red Sox fan. During his youth, he bounced back and forth between Las Vegas and Maine. He tried college for two years in Boston but didn't finish. He got himself on track there, however, by launching a boxing program for inner-city kids.
White has a background as an aerobics instructor. In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms in the Las Vegas area and began managing MMA fighters Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell.
While working as a manager, White learned that Semaphore Entertainment Group, the parent company of the UFC, was looking for a buyer for the UFC. White contacted childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta, an executive at Station Casinos, and a former commissioner of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Within a month, Lorenzo and his older brother Frank 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.
Controversy
On April 1, 2009, White was videotaped in a verbal tirade against Loretta Hunt, a sportswriter for Sherdog, in response to an article she wrote. In the video posted on his YouTube account, White used derogatory language against women, homosexuals and the mentally disabled in an obscenity-laced rant. The video was pulled from his official UFC YouTube page but has been widely republished across the internet and come under fire, including by GLAAD for his use of anti-gay slurs. White would later apologize for his use of homophobic slurs, but he specifically did not include Hunt in the apology.
Personal life
White and his wife Anne have two sons and a daughter.
Championships and accomplishments
References
- ^ McCarthy, Michael (2005-04-10). "Battles yield winning 'Fighter'". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Willert, Tim (1997-04-16). "Box aerobics class packs serious punch". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 1997-04-16.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - Wickert, Marc (2004). "Dana White and the future of UFC". Knucklepit.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) Mirror - Marvez, Alex (2009-04-02). "White's rant sends UFC down dangerous path". Fox Sports. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "White uses slurs in video blog". ESPN. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "UFC boss curses out female reporter in tirade". Fox Sports. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "MMA executive takes issue with a reporter's work". Newsday. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "White sorry for anti-gay slur". ESPN.com. April 3, 2009.
- Oh yeah, did we mention White just welcomed his third child into the world? A daughter named Savanna.