Dana White: Savior of the UFC Deserves Better

Dana White:  He is the man behind the number one organization in MMA.  He is the biggest, most powerful promoter in the sport.  He is among the most outspoken figures in the business.

He is foul-mouthed as a speaker and aggressive as a businessman.  However, he is also perhaps the most effective pioneer in the history of MMA. 

Given that White is the head of the huge organization known as the UFC, it is easy to write him off as greedy and selfish, and to say that he only wants to control the sport.

It is easy to forget, amid his interview antics, that he has made more stars out of fighters than anyone else. What should not be forgotten, however, is that he is responsible for what MMA is today:  the fastest-growing sport in the world. 

It was Dana White who convinced the Fertitta brothers to purchase the dying UFC brand from the Semaphore Entertainment Group.  If White had not convinced his friends, the Fertittas, to buy the UFC, then MMA as a sport may very well have died out.

At the time of this business move, MMA was illegal all over the United States.  It was unregulated, banned from pay-per-view, and on the verge of total extinction.  Despite having the odds stacked against him, White gave the crumbling UFC a new life.

Since that time, it has been the same outspoken demeanor and aggressive tactics, for which White is now criticized, that have put the UFC in the top spot. 

State athletic commissions all over the U.S. have sanctioned MMA, and the UFC is promoting shows all over the country. 

Now, the UFC is bringing its events all over the world, with events regularly being held in England, Ireland, Canada, and any more nations to come.  As President of the company, Dana White is irreplaceable. 

Within five years of becoming the UFC President, White had the sport once been banned almost everywhere in the country breaking pay-per-view records.  This is a feat unmatched virtually anywhere else in sports.

Another area where White receives repeated criticism is treatment of his fighters.  The policies of the UFC regarding its athletes have been labeled as unfair and greedy. 

Fans and critics have continuously questioned White’s motives when he makes decisions about the athletes. 

Still, it should be noted that Dana White has made stars out of men like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Matt Hughes, just to name a few.

However, the UFC’s failure to sign one fighter in particular is another source of seemingly endless disapproval.

Fedor Emelianenko has been the number-one heavyweight fighter in the world for years, and is considered among the top fighters in any weight class.

White’s skills as a negotiator and businessman have been questioned due to his inability to sign Emelianenko.    Many question why the top heavyweight has not been brought to the UFC.  How can the greatest promotion not have the greatest fighter? 

The truth is that, whatever the reason, it should not matter.  The criticism of White here is wholly undeserved.

The failure to bring in one fighter, no matter how great, should not be reflected upon the legacy of such a pivotal figure as Dana White.  While the UFC roster may currently lack Fedor Emelianenko, it does boast some of the biggest names in the sport today.

Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Quinton Jackson, and Lyoto Machida are just a few of the top-ranked talents competing inside the Octagon right now. 

The lack of the top heavyweight means little when weighed against all of the great fighters who White has signed.

Love him or hate him, Dana White has both saved MMA from oblivion, and brought it worldwide popularity.  His many accomplishments in the sport greatly outweigh his shortcomings. 

Again, it is easy to knock him for any one of his shortcomings, but the great strides he has made must also be recognized.  As a leader and spokesman, White has been nothing short of masterful.

Under his guidance, the UFC has reigned supreme, and has not been truly challenged by another promotion yet.  Instead of criticism, MMA fans everywhere should show Dana White some respect.   

by Wesley Fiorentino