Dana White’s Parents: UFC CEO’s Relationship With His Late Mother and Father & All We Know About Them

Dana White might be the UFC CEO now but everything was not so rosy back when he was a child. He had a rough upbringing and childhood and he was also not financially stable. He had even described this while talking about how he had met the Fertitta brothers.  The CEO has also spoken about his relationship with his parents and has never shied away from telling the truth. The father of three described previously how his relationship with his parents was tumultuous and problematic.

In 2011, Dana’s mother, June White, released an unofficial autobiography of ‘the UFC CEO’, named ‘Dana White, King of MMA’. It talked about White’s journey right from his infancy to becoming the UFC President and beyond. But she surprisingly accused her son of turning into a “vindictive tyrant” from a “nice person” in it. Now this might give the fans a hint about why the UFC CEO previously implied that he was unperturbed by the news of his parents’ death.

What happened to Dana White’s parents?

White was born on July 28th, 1969 to Dana White Sr and June White. He moved to Las Vegas when he was in 3rd grade and hated school. However, he went to Bishop Gorman High School and surprisingly met his future business partner Lorenzo Fertitta. Both of his parents were pretty young when he was born and his father was only 21 and his mother was 19.

White Sr left the house when his son was seven years old and White Jr was practically raised by a single mother. Even though he was raised by just his mother his relationship with her was not smooth. His parents had passed away in 2023 and he announced the same in a preview of Piers Morgan’s “Uncensored” interview. “My parents taught me a lot about what I didn’t want to be as a parent … and uhh … yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this, but my parents both died recently,” White told Morgan while stumbling on his words.

When Morgan asked him whether he felt sad about his parents passing away he directly said, “No.” White further stated, “When they passed away, I had almost no feelings about it, to be honest with you.” White revealed that he used to take care of his father before he had passed away and had moved him up to Maine so that he could be buried with his family.

As for his mother, the UFC boss had no hand in her service when she passed away. He also revealed that he doesn’t like to talk about his parents especially due to his mother’s strong views on his life which is detailed in a 2011 book written by her named “Dana White, King of MMA: An unauthorized biography.”

What was Dana White’s childhood like? The UFC CEO reveals

He was raised by a single mother and his father had left them when he was seven years old. The UFC CEO might not like his parents a lot but he always maintained the fact that his troubled childhood is what made him strong enough later in life. $500 million-worth Dana White didn’t grow up in luxury and had to struggle from a young age since his father was an alcoholic.

He said that his relation with his parents not only affected his personal life but also the he dealt with his three children. He said in the same interview with Morgan, “I wouldn’t change my upbringing. Not one thing about it. I wouldn’t change any of it.”  he always tried to be present in his children’s life and make them more confident.

He also explained how he would not do the things that his parents did when he became a parent. The boss believes that his experiences during childhood made him a better father to all his three children.

Dana White’s mother makes a bold statement about her son

UFC fans who have gone through June White’s book already have an idea about what her interview might sound like. Right at the beginning of her interview, June revealed the reason for writing this book. She said, “I wrote this book because I don’t like the person Dana has become”.

She further detailed a major point of complaint she had against White. June revealed White had once promised on a call that he would get the “best medical care that money can buy” for his ailing grandmother. But he never bothered about fulfilling his promise, which resulted in his grandmother passing away. She also talked about all the evils that Dana had amalgamated into his character over time.

In short, the words of her book, “Dana went from being a true friend, a good son, and a truly nice person to being a vindictive tyrant who lacks any feelings for how he treats others,” may be sufficient to realize how she described her son in the video. Well, June White’s words and the available reports about Dana’s childhood never mention any negative point in the relationship he had with his parents. Hence, a large chunk of fans might say that Dana White turning a cold shoulder toward his parents’ death might be due to the accusations his mother made in her book. She had said that she wrote the book in an attempt to bring him back and make him rethink what he has become.

At one point in the interview with Morgan, he said that he cared more about his children than his parents. He said that he never did to his children, what his parents did with him.

Dana White’s relationship with his kids

White has three children: Dana White III, Aidan White, and Savannah White. He makes sure that he always takes time for all three of his children and despite his pact schedule he often pays visits to his son who has boxing training. Once he also acted as a corner man for him in one of his amateur boxing bouts.

White has also been pictured with his elder son, Dana White III, amidst his practice sessions. A lot of UFC fans might know that he is already a household name in the football team of San Diego Toreros, which competes in the NCAA Division I FCS. Despite the unimaginably busy schedule that White packs, these small acts of care take an enormous stand to prove that he is a responsible father indeed. A large chunk of fans might agree that White stands for whatever he said about his kids in the interview with Piers Morgan.

Recently his daughter Savannah, the youngest in the family, went skydiving and he showed his support through social media. “My baby [Savannah White],” wrote Dana White in his Instagram stories. “Love it!!!!” So clearly he supports his children so that they do not have to face what he did in his childhood.

Parents are integral to growing up in a healthy environment and forming world views. Did you know about the strained relationship Dana White had with his parents?