Dana White is one of the most prominent figures in the fighting world. He is the President of the UFC and is one of the first people to have taken MMA to where it is now.
Before moving to Las Vegas and buying the UFC with the Fertitta Brothers, White used to live in Boston and work as a boxercise coach. He started college twice, but dropped out each time during the first semester. While living in Boston, White shared a story of him getting his a** beat in a bar.
In an interview, he said, “What happened was, when I was 21 years old, I lived in Boston and then I get jumped one night at this bar. And these dudes beat the living s**t out of me for about good 20 minutes. 20 minutes, literally, until the police came.”
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“At one point, I remember, I was on one knee, and this f**king guy must have punched me in this ear a thousand times. And I was getting kicked and hit from all kinds of different directions. These guys were from Charlestown. I’m lucky I didn’t get stabbed. I’m lucky I got the s**t beat out of me,” he added.
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Dana White received threats from the mob in Boston
While living and teaching boxercise in Boston, White had a run-in with the mob. While teaching one of his classes, Kevin Weeks, the right-hand man of the famous mobster, Whitey Bulger, walked in and demanded money. Dana White was forced to leave Boston because of this and moved to Las Vegas.
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The decision to move to Vegas changed White’s life. After moving there, he continued his boxercise training and later on met Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. He later became their manager. While working as their manager, he met Bob Meyrowitz, the owner of the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After learning that Meyrowitz wanted to sell the UFC, White, along with the Fertitta brothers, bought it for $2 million.
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Since then, UFC, after its initial struggles, is now the biggest MMA promotion in the world. White has come a long way since his Boston days, and right now, has a net worth of around $500 million.
What do you make of Dana White’s journey to the top? Let us know in the comments!