Dana White: 10 Reasons Why He's an MMA Genius

Michael Cohen/Getty Images

Love him or hate him, when it comes to MMA, Dana White is a genius. 

The UFC president has taken more risks than just about anyone in the sport and they almost always work in his favor. 

As the sport continues to grow, White looks more and more like the smartest man in the business. 

Don't believe me? Continue reading to find out why. 

Look at How He Defends the Sport

Michael Cohen/Getty Images

It's no secret Dana White speaks his mind. 

Unlike most figure heads of major sports league, White usually doesn't have a filter, and that's what makes White one of the best at defending the sport. 

From going head-to-head with boxing's Bob Arum to recently exposing an Outside the Lines piece ESPN recently shot to discuss fighter pay, White is usually on the forefront of setting the record straight.

Some may not like his brash, straight-forward, never-a-censor method to leading, but he has to be that way considering MMA is often looked down on. 

Speaking his mind keeps him in the forefront, which means more exposure for MMA. 

He Knows the Right Moment to Make Stars and How to Promote Fights

Whether it's pure luck or genius, White has a knack for picking the right moment to make a fighter a huge star. 

Some people may have questioned if Anderson Silva deserved a title shot in just his second UFC fight or if Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones deserved shots so young into their MMA careers, but all three guys won and became huge stars in the sport. 

People may not like the UFC hype machine, but White has made even mediocre fighters look like the biggest threats in the world. 

He Waited for the Right Deal to Move the UFC and MMA Forward

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

The UFC's deal with FOX has not only given the company more exposure, but it's given MMA as a whole a larger outlet.

Although the deal is still very new, thus far it has been great.

Choosing where to take the UFC after moving from Spike TV had to be a tough position for White, though. Choose one place and you could possibly be putting the company you help build into the wrong hands. Choose another and you could end up in the same positions that Strikeforce and Elite XC when they were on cable TV.

White chose the right deal, though. He's still able to run things the same way he always has, only at a larger scale thanks to FOX. 

He Made the Most of What 2011 Had to Offer

2011 could have been a terrible year for the UFC. Many main events and major fights were pushed back or canceled altogether thanks to injuries or other issues fighters had. 

Big-name fighters like Nate Marquardt, Chris Leben, and Thiago Silva all had to deal with drug testing issues, and Nick Diaz was making himself look bad before he even had a UFC fight last year. 

Despite these problems, White dealt with all the problems and still made the year memorable. 

From last-minute changes to fight cards, to UFC on FOX 1, to buying out Strikeforce, White made the most out of what could have potentially been a damaging year for the UFC. 

He Helped Turn a Dying Company into the Best in the Sport

When Dana White and the Fertitta brothers took over the UFC in 2001, it was a dying company. 

It took White and the Fertittas hard work and a lot of patience, but after a few rough years they turned things around. 

White's vision helped change the company to make it what it has become today. Instead of just another MMA company, the UFC has become the top brand in the sport. 

He Knows and Respects Where the Sport Came from

When Dana White speaks, you know he's passionate about the sport.

White knows where the sport came from and the good and bad things the UFC did before he took it over. 

White respects the greats like Royce Gracie for their contributions and has recognized some of the sport's greatest fighters with the UFC. 

By doing this, White can keep in touch with older UFC fans as well as educate newer ones about the past history of MMA. 

He Bought the Competition Many Times

If there's one thing White is good at, it's taking over the competition. 

Companies like PRIDE, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and, most recently, Strikeforce have all come under the Zuffa banner in the past 10 years. 

Although perhaps for different reasons, they have all been taken over by White. 

Pride was the UFC's biggest rival but came to a close shortly after the Zuffa purchase.

The WEC stayed for a few years, but the time came to merge the company with the UFC.

Only time will tell what will happen to Strikeforce, but most of its major stars and champions have already jumped ship to the UFC.  

There have been many great mergers and take over in sports history. White has been the mastermind behind multiple ones in MMA. 

He Listens to the Fans

Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

Dana White is closer to the fans of MMA than any other promoter or owner of a major sports company. 

From giving fans the fights they want to see to staying active on Twitter and responding to fans, White has made himself a bit more accessible than say David Stern and Roger Goodell of the NBA and NFL, respectively. 

White is smart enough to stay open with the fans and not give them too much access at the same time. 

He's Taken the UFC to New International Markets

Before White took over the UFC, the only places the company had been outside the continental US was Japan, Puerto Rico and Brazil. 

Since then, the UFC has been to the UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.  

Without going outside the US, the UFC perhaps would not be as big as it has become. 

He Takes the Right Risks

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Let's take a look at some of the biggest risks Dana White has ever taken:

• Bought a dying UFC
• Held on to the company even while it was continuing to lose money
• Gave Brock Lesnar, Kimbo Slice and James Toney shots at the UFC
• Let Randy Couture fight for a title in his 40s
• Allows Jacob Volkmann and Chael Sonnen to speak on an open mic

These are just a few of the risks White has taken over the course of his career. 

For the most part, they have worked out in his favor. 

White may be a gambler because of some of his risks, but when it works he looks like the smartest man in the world.