UFC: How Dana White Built the Ultimate Combat Sports Juggernaut

Dana White shows up for the biggest event in the history of his organization. There are no less than 100 members of the media on hand, and in 24 hours, over 55,000 people will be watching the result of his hard work live. So why is White wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs short sleeve shirt and jeans?

Because he's earned the right to do so.

White, a 42 year old married father of three, is the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championships, owns 10% of the company, and is worth approximately $150 million.

Not bad for a guy with nothing more than a high school education.

In the 1st four years White was in charge, the UFC lost $44 million, as many events struggled to reach $1,000,000 in gate revenue, 10,000 people attending the event, and 100,000 buys on pay-per-view.

So, how did White become one of the biggest successes in the sports world?

Gut instinct.

"If me and [my brother] Frank had put the smartest Harvard MBA in his position, we would be out of business and would have failed miserably," UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said in a 2009 ESPN interview.

In 2005, White convinced SpikeTV to air the now-hit reality series "The Ultimate Fighter," which still draws two million viewers+ an episode 14 seasons and six-and-a-half years after its debut.

Over the last decade, White has made somewhat of a habit of chasing away or merging with other top level competition, such as Pride Fighting Championships, EliteXC, and World Extreme Cagefighting, the alumnus of whom are now some of the top fighters in the UFC.

Earlier this year, the UFC signed a deal with Fox Sports, a seven year contract that will give mixed martial arts the network television exposure sought after for so long by White and the UFC brass.

White believes that in 10 years, the UFC will be the most watched sport in the world. If things go his way, there will be nothing to stop him from making that a reality.