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CHICAGO, IL – JANUARY 24: UFC President Dana White interacts with media during the UFC on FOX press conference on January 24, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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CHICAGO, IL – JANUARY 24: UFC President Dana White interacts with media during the UFC on FOX press conference on January 24, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
UFC President Dana White and former CEO of UFC Lorenzo Fertitta changed the audience’s perspective on mixed martial arts. They made a small promotion, which was having trouble getting on satellite to a global phenomenon. However, the UFC President recently talked about how all of it could’ve gone south just before they struck a deal with the former owner of UFC, Robert Bob Meyrowitz.
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The UFC head honcho said, “Well, it’s weird because a few weeks before I found out that the UFC was in trouble, we’ve had a conversation. And some group had come in and tried to hire me and I told him, ‘hey I just got this offer’ And he looked at me all crazy and said, ‘what are you talking about? I thought you and I were going to do something together.’ I said, ‘alright, I’m with you.'”

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 05: UFC president Dana White interacts with media during the UFC 226 Press Conference inside The Pearl concert theater at Palms Casino Resort on July 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dana White added, “So, yeah, literally a few weeks later I was talking to Bob Meyrowitz on the phone; the former owner of the UFC. And he told me they were in trouble. And they were probably going out of business.”
White talked to Lorenzo Fertitta, who was in Miami at the time, and told him they can and should buy the UFC. White concluded, “I mean, it was literally weeks or months later we owned the UFC”
Read More – How Much of The UFC Does Dana White Own?
The deal proved a historic event; Both Lorenzo and White worked together and elevated both the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts.
Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta saw trials but stuck together
The UFC’s takeover from the Fertitta brothers and Dana White wasn’t a smooth ride. The promotion was going out of business when these guys came in. White, with the backing of the Fertitta brothers, stuck TV deals to reach a wider audience, and put efforts into legalizing the sport in more states.
In 2001, The Fertitta brothers & Dana White purchased the UFC,
with the goal of legitimizing it as a real sport. pic.twitter.com/XBpl5j63gD
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) August 18, 2015
At one point, the UFC was facing huge losses; Thus, White and Lorenzo Fertitta talked about selling the business. However, Fertitta changed his mind and invested one last time and did the Ultimate Fighter reality show. The move paved the way for the product that the fans see today.
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The inaugural Ultimate Fighter finale brought in the audience that the UFC was always looking for. Besides, a huge TV deal with Spike TV, at the time. The UFC never looked back and became one of the most famed organizations in the world.
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WATCH THIS STORY – The Most Epic Food Combinations From Dana White’s F*ck It Fridays
What do you think of Dana White’s revelation about almost taking another job before the UFC deal?
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