Dana White

dwhite Dana White

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 attended college in Boston for two years but did not end; but, while there he did launch a boxing program for inner-city children.^[1]

White has a background as an aerobics instructor.^[2] In 1992, White established Dana White Enterprises in Las Vegas. He conducted aerobics classes at three gyms^[2] in the Las Vegas area and started 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.^[3] White currently owns 10% of Zuffa, LLC, the entity the Fertitta brothers made to own and manage the UFC.^[1]