Dana White

Dana White has been married to Anne White since 1996. They met when they were 12 years old and have three children, Dana White III, Aidan White and Savannah White. Dana III played football at the University of San Diego, while Aidan competed as an amateur boxer and made his boxing debut in 2018.

In December 2022, White and Anne were filmed during a physical altercation at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Both apologized afterward, and White said that alcohol had been involved and that he and Anne remained committed to their marriage.

White revealed in 2012 that he had been diagnosed with Ménière's disease, an inner ear disorder that caused vertigo and partial deafness in his left ear. He underwent Orthokine treatment in 2013 and said it greatly reduced his symptoms. He later described changing his diet after medical tests revealed high triglyceride levels and other health irregularities.

White was born in Manchester, Connecticut, and spent much of his childhood in Ware, Massachusetts, and Las Vegas. His mother, June White, raised him and his sister Kelly for much of their childhood. The family moved to Las Vegas when White was in the third grade because of better employment opportunities for his mother, who was a nurse.

White attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and later spent his senior year at Hermon High School in Maine, graduating in 1987. He briefly attended Quincy College and the University of Massachusetts Boston but left both during his first semester. He worked in jobs including asphalt paving, hotel service and bouncing at a bar.

He began boxing at 17 and trained with former Golden Gloves champion Peter Welch. White opened a boxing gym in Boston with Welch and later worked as a boxercise coach. After returning to Las Vegas in the early 1990s, he ran boxercise gyms, trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under John Lewis and met mixed martial artists Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. He became their manager before moving into UFC management.

While managing Ortiz and Liddell, White met Bob Meyrowitz, who owned the UFC's parent company. White contacted his longtime acquaintance Lorenzo Fertitta about acquiring the promotion. Lorenzo and his older brother Frank Fertitta III formed Zuffa, LLC, purchased the UFC in 2001 and appointed White as its president. White received an ownership stake and stopped managing Ortiz and Liddell after taking the executive position.

The UFC struggled financially and faced restrictions in several states during its early years under Zuffa. White and the Fertitta brothers worked to professionalize the promotion, including the adoption of rules and efforts to secure official athletic regulation. White also re-hired Joe Rogan, who became a UFC color commentator.

White, the Fertitta brothers and television producer Craig Piligian developed The Ultimate Fighter as a way to bring new audiences to mixed martial arts. The reality series debuted in 2005, and its finale between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin became a major turning point for the UFC. The promotion later developed stars including Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, while White became its most visible public representative.

White initially opposed women competing in the UFC, but he changed his position as Ronda Rousey's popularity grew. The UFC held its first women's bout in 2013, when Rousey fought Liz Carmouche. In 2016, the UFC was acquired by WME-IMG, and White remained president. After the UFC and WWE became part of TKO Group Holdings in 2023, White became the UFC's chief executive officer.

White expanded beyond the UFC through several combat sports and entertainment projects. He began hosting Dana White's Contender Series in 2017, a program that gives emerging fighters an opportunity to earn UFC contracts. He also promoted the 2017 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.

In 2022, White became a co-owner of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, whose properties include Nitro Circus, Nitrocross and Street League Skateboarding. He also co-founded Power Slap with Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III. The slap fighting promotion debuted in 2023 and later moved from TBS to the streaming platform Rumble.

In 2025, White co-founded Zuffa Boxing with Turki Al-Sheikh, TKO Group Holdings and Sela. He serves as the promotion's executive leader. Zuffa Boxing held its first numbered event in January 2026, featuring Callum Walsh against Carlos Ocampo.

White has been a longtime supporter and associate of Donald Trump. Trump hosted an early UFC event at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, a venue White credited with helping the promotion gain acceptance when other arenas would not host it. White endorsed Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention and later introduced him at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

White's management of the UFC has drawn criticism over fighter compensation and the promotion's treatment of athletes and journalists. Antitrust lawsuits were filed over alleged unfair pay practices, and the UFC agreed to settle one case in 2024. His outspoken style has also produced public disputes with figures connected to rival promotions and the sports media.

In January 2025, White joined the board of directors of Meta Platforms. He has also remained involved in public UFC events and political appearances connected to Trump.

White was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in the class of 2009. He received the Armed Forces Foundation's Patriot Award in 2009 and was named Nevada Sportsman of the Year that same year.

He has received World MMA Awards for Leading Man of the Year and Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for Promoter of the Year. In 2023, he received a Special Achievement Award from The Sports Museum at TD Garden.