Dana White Net Worth: UFC President Made $360 Million From UFC Sale

Dana White’s net worth is $500 million. Here is how the UFC president made his fortune.

White is the current president of the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was engaged in boxing growing up which probably explains his affinity to combat sports.

Born Dana Frederick White Jr, he spent time as an aerobics instructor to earn a living and he eventually moved to Las Vegas and started the Dana White Enterprises in 1992. According to Celebrity Net Worth, among the earliest fighters he was able to manage were MMA legends Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Soon, White met with his former high school friend Lorenzo Fertitta and offered to buy a deal with UFC after learning that its parent company, Semaphore Entertainment Group, was not doing well. The deal materialized in 2001 and the Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo and Frank, shelled out $2 million for an 81 percent stake in UFC.

The UFC was once seen as an underground and often brutal form of entertainment. In the past, it was considered too violent and not suited for general public viewing. It all changed under Dana White’s leadership as UFC president.

The Manchester, Connecticut native was able to leverage the success of UFC to launch Contender Series, which would only be available via UFC Fight Pass, the only digital streaming service of the company. In March 2019, White penned a deal which would see him as president until 2026.

In 2016, talent agency WME-IMG acquired a majority stake of the Ultimate Fighting Championship for $4 billion. As its president, White was able to bag $360 million off the deal, per FOX Business. Aside from that, the company opened its doors for investors coming from different backgrounds such as actors and athletes. Moreover, UFC signed an exclusive deal with Reebok and its pay-per-view audience appears to be on the upside after subscribers hit the million mark. This just proved that the business of combat sports was a booming business with other promotional companies making an upstart in other parts of the world.

White often clashed with interesting fighters in the UFC. He does not mince his words. In May 2020, UFC made a groundbreaking move: telecast a live event with different cards. During the pandemic, it is almost impossible to hold a sporting event but UFC was able to get a license to hold its event without a live audience.