The Ultimate Fighting Champion: Dana White is Born
The Ultimate Fighting Champion: Dana White is Born
White was born in 1971 in Manchester, Connecticut, but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, Levant, Maine, and mostly, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He admits he was never the academic type in school, preferring to spend his time in the boxing ring. He graduated from Hermon High School in 1987, and subsequently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts. However, after two years there, he decided that it was not the right place for him to be. “Hell, forget about college,” White says. “I barely finished high school.”
White floated around between different jobs for a few years, including a bellhop position at a hotel in Boston, where he was bringing in nearly $60,000 per year. All the while, he was also training as an amateur boxer. White says he “got hooked” on the sport, but grappled with where to go from there. In 1992, White finally decided to branch off onto his own. He had given up on his dream of becoming a professional fighter when he realized that he did not have what it takes. But, his love of the sport was still as strong as ever.
Thus, in 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in his home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. With his new company, White opened up three gyms in the surrounding area. He might not have been a good enough boxer to turn pro, but that did not mean he had to completely abandon the sport. Instead, White chose to use his expertise and own personal experiences to train boxers in his gyms. He headed up successful boxing classes and became a personal trainer to many up and coming fighters.
Business was going well for White, but it was about to get even better. One day, thanks to his sports management company, White was introduced to two young UFC fighters, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. After seeing their potential, White officially began representing them. In the process, White became fast friends with Bob Meyerwitz, Ortiz’s former manager, whose company, Semaphore Entertainment Group, also happened to be the owner of the UFC at the time. White says the two “developed a mutual respect for one another.” It was then that Meyerwitz confided in White that he wanted to sell the UFC.
White immediately called up a childhood friend of his who was also interested in boxing, Lorenzo Fertitta. At the time, Fertitta was an executive at Station Casinos. “He was down in Miami, and I said, ‘You know what? I just found out the UFC is for sale. What do you think?” recalled White. “And he said, ‘That’s interesting.’ A month later we owned it.”
Fertitta, along with his older brother Frank, bought the UFC and installed White as its president. With that, White set his sights on a new horizon.
The Ultimate Fighting Champion Dana White is Born
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) used to be nothing more than an underground fighting league, and one which was scarcely accepted in the U.S. That was, until Dana White came along. White transformed the UFC into one of the most mainstream and popular sports on the scene today. By cleaning up its image and marketing it as a legitimate sport, White was able to create a successful organization, whose events can now be seen on television in more than 35 countries around the world.
White was born in 1971 in Manchester, Connecticut, but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, Levant, Maine, and mostly, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He admits he was never the academic type in school, preferring to spend his time in the boxing ring. He graduated from Hermon High School in 1987, and subsequently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts. However, after two years there, he decided that it was not the right place for him to be. “Hell, forget about college,” White says. “I barely finished high school.”
White floated around between different jobs for a few years, including a bellhop position at a hotel in Boston, where he was bringing in nearly $60,000 per year. All the while, he was also training as an amateur boxer. White says he “got hooked” on the sport, but grappled with where to go from there. In 1992, White finally decided to branch off onto his own. He had given up on his dream of becoming a professional fighter when he realized that he did not have what it takes. But, his love of the sport was still as strong as ever.
Thus, in 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in his home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. With his new company, White opened up three gyms in the surrounding area. He might not have been a good enough boxer to turn pro, but that did not mean he had to completely abandon the sport. Instead, White chose to use his expertise and own personal experiences to train boxers in his gyms. He headed up successful boxing classes and became a personal trainer to many up and coming fighters.
Business was going well for White, but it was about to get even better. One day, thanks to his sports management company, White was introduced to two young UFC fighters, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. After seeing their potential, White officially began representing them. In the process, White became fast friends with Bob Meyerwitz, Ortiz’s former manager, whose company, Semaphore Entertainment Group, also happened to be the owner of the UFC at the time. White says the two “developed a mutual respect for one another.” It was then that Meyerwitz confided in White that he wanted to sell the UFC.
White immediately called up a childhood friend of his who was also interested in boxing, Lorenzo Fertitta. At the time, Fertitta was an executive at Station Casinos. “He was down in Miami, and I said, ‘You know what? I just found out the UFC is for sale. What do you think?” recalled White. “And he said, ‘That’s interesting.’ A month later we owned it.”
Fertitta, along with his older brother Frank, bought the UFC and installed White as its president. With that, White set his sights on a new horizon.
The Ultimate Fighting Champion Dana White is Born
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) used to be nothing more than an underground fighting league, and one which was scarcely accepted in the U.S. That was, until Dana White came along. White transformed the UFC ... |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Bernard ReberBack in late 1992, MS Access hit the streets. About that time the company I managed needed new software to handle their growing client base and I decided to try this new product. I had little difficulty writing and adapting a database to suit us and discovered a hidden talent for programming. A business was born. With business studies and 25 years of management experience in three different countries under my belt, I could offer a unique combination of skills and my customers agreed. From these humble beginnings my software 'invoiceit' emerged in 1999 and has since been taken to 49 states (hello Wyoming, won't you join us?), all across Canada and more than 70 other countries. From the very beginning the program included cashbook accounting, the simplest form of keeping financial business records. The Dictionary.com defines 'cashbook' as "A 'book' in which to record money received and paid out". For 'book' substitute 'simple software' and that's what I'm about. Now I have published Simple Accounting, an inexpensive spreadsheet solution which even you can master. For just $14.95 it costs less than a takeout meal! More at http://www.scrambled-card.com/simple_accounting_main.htm - Visit Bernard Reber's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) Jay Kubassek is a Canadian born entrepreneur, internet marketing genius, professional speaker, international real estate developer/investor, executive film producer, extreme sport enthusiast and a passionate supporter of several charities worldwide. In 2007, Jay's vision and dedication to help other entrepreneurs and business owners duplicate his marketing success led to the creation of his fourth company CarbonCopyPRO, an internet marketing firm already worth over 15 million dollars that has over 20 employees and contract workers with clients is 12 different countries. Jay resides in NYC with his girlfriend Jamie, three year old son Milo and dog Cooper. As executive producer he recently premiered his first film in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. As an adventurist he is racing the 2008 Baja 1000 off-road race and is a member of the 2008 U.S. National Elephant Polo Team, The New York Blue who will be representing the US in the 2008 World Championships in Nepal. Visit Jay's Blog: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) used to be nothing more than an underground fighting league, and one which was scarcely accepted in the U.S. That was, until Dana White came along. White transformed the UFC ...
Change can be good for you. In today's world of societal and corporate change, job security is a thing of the past. While we must face the fact that change is inevitable, we should also realize that many changes a...












