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Dana White had a lot to do with how successful the UFC has become since its inception. He is one of the most recognized fighter promoters in the world today. Moreover, retired UFC fighter Kenny Florian has claimed that the 53-year-old promoter is the real reason behind the UFC’s success and compared him to WWE promoter, Vince McMahon.

The UFC is arguably the biggest MMA promotion in the world. It grows even bigger with each event, with a roster stacked with world-class talents. But ‘The Ultimate Fighter 1’ middleweight runner-up has given the primary credit for the promotion’s global success to Dana White.

Kenny Florian compares the UFC president to Vince McMahon

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Florian said that Dana White has a compelling charm in his personality and he deserved all the love he gets from the UFC fans. Florian said, “Dana, of course, is a very charismatic personality [and] probably deserves a lot of that [adulation from the fans].”

Florian also compared his status in the UFC to that of Vince McMahon in WWE and finds it interesting how he became a bigger name besides having some world-class fighters in his promotion. McMahon became a big name after making WWE a global success and the leader of sports entertainment. He said, “You have this guy who’s running the organization similar to Vince McMahon, who is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name in the organization more than the fighters. Is that right or wrong? I don’t know. But it’s interesting that’s the case.”

Florian claims Dana White is more famous than most fighters

‘Kenflo’ claims that Dana White’s popularity among the fans propelled the UFC to another level of success. He stated that the UFC president is more well-known than some of the fighters who are currently on the roster. Florian said, “They [UFC] are the biggest name, and that’s why Dana [White] is so well known, you know.” He added, “In many ways, he’s more known than the majority of the fighters.”

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Florian then mentioned how the crowd in Charlotte lit up when they saw Dana White last weekend. He claimed that the way the crowd reacted can only mean that his status is as big as The Beatles in the 1950s and the 1960s. “He walked in at Charlotte and it was like The Beatles walking,” said Kenny Florian.

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The retired fighter then pointed out how the people wanted to get to White during the event on Saturday. Florian added, “He came in and everyone looked and everyone was trying to get to him and everyone was trying to get out of their seats to get to him.”

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Dana White’s constant presence during UFC events shows how much the promotion means to him. He constantly promotes his top fighters as well as the rookies with the same enthusiasm. However, he has had his fair share of mistakes. But he remains one of the most beloved figures in MMA.

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