1. Dana White spent many of his early years residing in Ware, Massachusetts.
51 Facts About Dana White
1. 2.
Dana White's mother was a nurse, and the family moved to Las Vegas when Dana White was in third grade, as Vegas offered higher wages for nurses.
3.
Dana White attended Bishop Gorman High School, where he first met Lorenzo Fertitta, although they did not become close friends until years later.
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Dana White said he disliked school and "got kicked out of Gorman twice".
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Dana White spent his senior year of high school in Maine.
6.
Dana White had begun boxing at age 17, and befriended former Golden Gloves champion Peter Welch.
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In Las Vegas, Dana White continued running boxercise gyms and began training jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of John Lewis, alongside Lorenzo Fertitta and his older brother Frank Fertitta III.
8.
Dana 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.
9.
When Dana White learned that Meyrowitz was looking to sell the UFC, he contacted his friend Lorenzo Fertitta, to ask if he would be interested in acquiring the company.
10.
Dana White was granted a stake in the company as a finder's fee and as sweat equity.
11.
Dana White said that when he and the Fertittas acquired the UFC, all they received was the brand name "UFC" and an old octagon.
12.
Dana White self-funded the show as television networks refused to pay for the cost of production.
13.
Dana White continued in his role as president, and was given a stake in the new business.
14.
In March 2019, Dana White signed a new, seven-year contract to remain president of the UFC, as the UFC signed a deal with ESPN.
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Dana White was given the title of chief executive officer of the UFC.
16.
In October 2017, Dana White said at Freddie Roach's Wild Card West boxing club that he was "getting into boxing, 100 percent".
17.
In 2019 Dana White said that he wanted to incorporate boxing into the company portfolio of the UFC.
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Dana White later backpedaled on these plans, stating in 2022 that boxing promotion is "a broken business that is an absolute nightmare to try to fix".
19.
In 2024, Dana White promoted a card featuring Irish boxer Callum Walsh which was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
20.
In March 2025, Dana White announced a partnership with Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, to create a new boxing league, modeled after the UFC.
21.
Dana White was an executive producer of The Ultimate Surfer, a surfing competition television series styled after The Ultimate Fighter.
22.
In January 2025, Meta Platforms announced that Dana White had been elected to its board of directors.
23.
Dana White met his wife Anne when they were in the eighth grade, and they married in 1996.
24.
Dana White bought a mansion in Pine Island Court, Las Vegas, in 2006 from Frank Fertitta III for.
25.
Dana White bought three other mansions in the same area from October 2016 to June 2017 for a combined total of around.
26.
Dana White was raised as a Catholic and was an altar boy when he was a child, but now considers himself to be an atheist and does not believe in an afterlife.
27.
In May 2012, Dana White revealed that he had been diagnosed with Meniere's disease, an inner ear disorder.
28.
The UFC on Fuel TV 3: Korean Zombie vs Poirier event in May 2012 was the first UFC card he had missed in 11 years with Dana White staying home, adhering to medical advice.
29.
Dana White underwent Orthokine treatment for Meniere's disease in 2013, which he says has greatly reduced his symptoms.
30.
In 2022, Dana White stated he had undergone medical testing and was diagnosed with extremely high triglyceride levels and other irregularities.
31.
Dana White was given 10.4 years left to live if he did not rectify the problems.
32.
Dana White said that since then he has adhered to a ketogenic diet, which he says has remedied his sleep apnea and alleviated his leg pain.
33.
The regimen was prescribed by biologist Gary Brecka, whom Dana White credited for the improvement in his health.
34.
Dana White spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, where he endorsed Republican nominee Donald Trump.
35.
Dana White said that Trump helped the UFC at its beginnings, allowing the UFC to host its first event under Zuffa ownership at the Trump Taj Mahal when other venues refused to host the UFC.
36.
In February 2020, Dana White donated to America First Action, a super political action committee that supported Trump's re-election.
37.
Dana White again endorsed Trump in 2024 and introduced him at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
38.
Dana White is a fan of the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine.
39.
Dana White has a guitar hand-signed by all three members of the Beastie Boys in his office.
40.
Dana White has been a fan of the New England Patriots since childhood, and has stated that he is an admirer of the former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
41.
Dana White said in a 2022 interview alongside Rob Gronkowski that he had worked to negotiate a deal which would have brought Brady and Gronkowski to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, but Jon Gruden nixed the deal and the duo instead signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
42.
Dana 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.
43.
Dana White plays high-stakes blackjack, and has been limited from playing at multiple casinos in Las Vegas.
44.
Dana White stated in 2021 that the biggest sports bet he had placed was in 2007, when he wagered on Jermain Taylor to beat Kelly Pavlik.
45.
Dana White stated a "goal in life before I die" is for a casino to allow him to play per hand.
46.
The California Legislative Women's Caucus sent a letter to Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, the company that owns the UFC, requesting Dana White be removed from his role in the UFC.
47.
In 2010, Dana White donated 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.
48.
In 2011, Dana White donated to his former high school to fund renovations to their athletic facilities.
49.
In 2017, Dana White donated to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.
50.
In 2019, after UFC 242, Khabib Nurmagomedov raised for Dustin Poirier's charity, The Good Fight Foundation, Dana White followed and donated to Poirier's charity foundation.
51.
In 2024, White donated 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.