The Untold Story Behind Dana White & UFC | Big Boy Off Air (Interview)

when you talk about a fight and let's

talk about who the baddest man in the

planet is it's if you lock two guys in a

room who comes out some people can't

deal with chaos some people can't handle

the pressure but the universe works in

crazy ways and when you figure out who

you are and what you want to do and you

devote your life to it like like like a

maniac like you're all in on this

thing most of these people end up doing

what they say they're going to do and

being who they say they're going to be

come there's still fights that I'll

watch and when it's over I go what the

[ __ ] do I do for a living I said I don't

know if this kid can fight or not but if

he can even throw a punch he's going to

be a huge Superstar Man Jake Paul fought

a guy who was his age and was actually a

boxer what happened he lost he lost

Oscar De La Hoya is two-faced he's a

liar total [ __ ] phony this story is

crazy I don't even know if I've ever

told this story before I had goosebumps

telling you this [ __ ] story and I

said I think we can buy the UFC and I

think we should do it

this is dop as

[ __ ] [ __ ] yeah this is my closet oh this

is amazing bro oh this is really a

functional kitchen I know this is I got

chefs and this is where I F [ __ ]

Friday Dan gym right

[Music]

here look at look at [ __ ]

Goosebumps big boy off air this is

amazing Dana White is sitting with us

man Dana what is your title now UFC

president so you're still UFC president

same as it always was but you guys just

did a a a a different kind of I don't

want to get all in your pocket really I

do no no it's all good but you guys just

did a a different deal yeah that I don't

give a [ __ ] about titles I don't care

about titles and where you sit on the

org chart or any of that [ __ ] I I'm

not I don't care about that stuff you

what do you care about uh winning yeah I

heard that bro do you feel like you're

winning yeah let me tell you I walked in

here and I only saw a piece first off

where are we right now we're in my

office so we're at UFC headquarters and

this is my office your office is bigger

than houses but you worked hard to get

this that's why I never trip off of

anybody that have something I'm like man

I can't fault you for the hard work that

you've done but when I walked in here

Dan I'm not going to [ __ ] you bro I

felt like I'm not doing enough in my

life when I walked in you know I would

like like to to other people Jose or

whatever I probably look like damn big's

the man I walked in here and I'm like ah

[ __ ] there's just something I'm not

doing right you know what's crazy is

that F first of all obviously I love

what I do I love this business I love

everything about it but I love to take

Brands especially ones that people say

can't be built right and building them

you know and uh you know you and I have

talked about this several times but you

know I I got serious about my health a

little over a year ago and all the stuff

that I have going on right now in my

life had I not done this over a year ago

I wouldn't have been able to do all this

I wouldn't have been able to keep up and

and do what I'm doing right now were you

feeling bad then or you just know how

bad you were feeling I was feeling

really bad I knew I knew I was I was

messed up but I was talking to all these

doctors and uh you know they couldn't do

anything they couldn't fix me they

couldn't help uh they had no answers for

me so I I started to feel like this is

what 50 feels like right right this must

be what 50 feels like wrong I feel like

I'm 30 now again so I'm taking on when

we when you came in I was like [ __ ] he

looks great you feel great you do too

thank you well you just playing uh

compliment tennis with me now no no no

listen you've lost a lot of weight

you've completely changed your life and

saved my life and you feel like you

saved yours 100% no no doubt about it

you know when we're young you get out

there and you're aggressive you're doing

your thing and you don't really care

then as you start to get older and you

start to feel like [ __ ] yeah you know um

you want to educate yourself on how how

do I feel better and it's not I don't

give a [ __ ] how long I live I want a qu

good quality of life While I'm Alive I

believe me I've seen many people like

he's 84 he's still alive he's in a

wheelchairing you don't know you're

alive exactly am yeah being alive and

living living are two different things

so why did you feel it was necessary to

do that you know because people would

look at Dana White and think you have

they say oh he has everything in the

world he got this you know why was it

important to step back and take care of

your health but you do you do you do do

have all these things but if you can't

physically get through I mean I was at a

point where I would come in you could

ask anybody that was around me over a

year ago I would literally fall asleep

in the middle of meetings and things

like that I was in a really bad place

physically um and as far as my health

went and then I met this guy Gary Brea

who is an absolute genius this guy isn't

a doctor he's a human biologist and none

of these doctors know anything about

human biology everything they've learned

is about medicine right right getting

you on medication oh this feels weird

take this medication oh that doesn't

feel right take this medication finally

you're on three four different

medications that have 10 different side

effects and mess you up in 10 different

ways and that's what I was feeling uh

I'm on no medication now I'm you were on

medication yeah I was on thyroid I was

on cholesterol and I was on high blood

pressure medicine and now I'm on none of

that and my blood work has never been

better I've never felt better and you

know I am not the same person I was a

year and a half ago do you feel like you

saved your life 100% yeah and and not

even about saving my life my quality of

life is incredible now I have an

incredible quality of life I my legs

were so bad that I could barely put my

socks and shoes on um Zero Energy I had

sleep apnea uh snoring you know you know

what go in and say hey I can't sleep

what do they do they give me the SE

machine

show me somebody who can sleep with that

thing on because I couldn't all that

shit's gone there's no snoring there's

no uh stopping breathing at night

there's no sleep apnea this guy said to

me he looked at me and we're sitting

right there in that chair he looked at

me and said you do what I tell you to do

for the next 10 weeks and I'll change

your life 10 weeks he's like it's going

to be hard I said no it won't when I set

my mind to do something whatever and I

can do anything for 10 weeks and and it

wasn't even 10 weeks you start to get

into week six seven and my mother-in-law

who's 80 was just going through a bunch

of horrible stuff I called him he flew

out he changed her whole life in 6 weeks

she's 80 I had dinner with her last

night she's not even the same person she

was a month ago my wife was on the phone

with her talking to her and she was on

speaker it was like 10:00 in the morning

uh and I said to my wife I said your

mother sounds like she's drunk what's

wrong with her oh she's been having some

health problems you know they can't get

her uh blood pressure under control and

all this stuff call Gary bua he flew out

the next day from Miami he's located in

Miami Jesus Christ turned her around in

weeks weeks this guy's a genius yeah let

me tell anyway I I can talk to you about

this even on my end man like I lost 300

lb right and I did gastri bypass 20

years ago but I I'm still like you know

I have complications I'm at this doctor

I'm I'm seeing this specialist you know

I don't do meds and things but no one

can ever catch on to what I'm feeling

I'm tired I'm fatigued I feel a certain

I will never talk to a doctor about my

General Health ever again if I break my

arm I'm going to go see a doctor if I

need surgery I'm going to go see a

doctor my General Health never again

none of them know what they're talking

about they're all full of [ __ ] all they

know is to put you on pills and put you

on medicine that's all they know I'm I'm

talking to Gary bre for the I hope I

hope uh Gary Brea outlives me cuz uh

damn I hope I see you uh Gary Brea when

you look around just at my team that's

that's off camera do you look at them

and are you sad for any of them as you

look around like do some of them look

like they need Dr right now no when I

look around at most people MH there

there has to be a way for for Gary Brea

to figure out this is the future of

medicine right Dana how what was your

upbringing like cuz we look at Dana

White now and we think we know the story

how was how did you grow up yeah I don't

talk a lot about my upbringing my mom I

grew up with a single mom

um who worked very hard you know I

definitely got my work ethic from her um

as as I got older you know my mom and I

didn't have a very good relationship my

dad was an alcoholic he wasn't a bad guy

uh he was just a selfish guy you know my

dad wanted to party and do his things

and and never really

uh you know cared about me and my sister

so um I uh you

know I I wouldn't change one thing right

every everything that I went through as

a kid made me who I am today and I and I

wouldn't change it you know but I but my

mom worked hard she gave us the best

life she could give us I don't know how

she did it sometimes how she pulled it

off as a single mom with a with a dad

that didn't pay anything and didn't care

um so I I give her lots of credit for

that does that make you put you in a

position where even through life like I

know youed used the Box before correct

did that keep you kind of out outside of

the house where you were you looking for

things outside of the house as well

because we didn't have everything that

we have now we didn't have social media

we didn't have 5,000 channels right you

know so what did you do Dana White as a

kid or a teen to occupy your time yeah

well me me and my sister basically

raised ourselves I mean my mom was at

work all the time and me and my sister

were home I know alone all the time so

you know we we had stuff like you know

my mom was the type of mom we had to

have chores done when when she got home

from work and stuff like that but uh you

know we hung out with our friends we're

both very social um we did what we

needed to do at home and then we were

probably out most of the time uh but

yeah I mean we we had pretty normal

upbringings it's not like uh we had a

horrible upbringing uh we lots of

friends I mean my my graduating class at

Gorman has got to be like the most

successful graduating class of all time

it's pretty crazy Gman here in Vegas

yeah Perry Rogers was I don't know if

you know Perry but he he he was in my

class he shaqs agent and and Tatum and

and and uh a bunch of other guys he

started with uh Agy and like some Gorman

like outlier [ __ ]

yeah was in my class um Mara the 1995

American League rookie of the year was

in my class I mean I could go on forto

was in your

class Tim poster at Gorman he built the

company uh sold it to Expedia and then

bought the Golden Nugget he was my class

I mean I could go on for an hour did gr

see that on campus could you see the

power of that on campus or when you look

back you can say oh [ __ ] like not just

the same school but you talking about

the same graduating class my graduating

class not the same school I mean the

same school I mean we had uh tons of

guys from the same school Cedric career

he's probably going to be the next mayor

of of Vegas oh man he he he was in my

graduate class more opportunities for us

when we moved Vegas listen one of the

things that I love about Vegas there's

many things that I love about the city I

love the action here everything's 247

you know you could go to the grocery

store at 1:00 in the morning and a lot

of other things that that I love about

the city but I'm a big guy on the

American dream the American dream is

real it's a real thing and it's

something that I really believe in I

fight for all the time and Vegas like is

is the American if you come here I don't

care where you went to school if you

didn't go to school you know who you

know who you don't know if you come to

this city with a great idea and you work

hard enough hard this this city will

give you everything you ever dreamed of

what brought you to Vegas so my mother

was a nurse we lived in Boston my mother

was a

nurse and uh at the time I was 10 11 12

years old Las Vegas was paying nurses

more than any other city in in in the

country so for whatever reason my mom

packed us up and moved us to Vegas and

uh you know so I I I was very lucky

because I got the best of both worlds I

got the East Coast right and the West

Coast my grandparents lived up in Maine

so I spent a lot of Summers up in Maine

which I love still I love it up there

and uh yeah I'm so thank God that that

my mom moved to Vegas so you come here

at 11 12 years of age but you do make it

back to Boston at some point yeah we go

back and forth and and I uh actually

moved back to Boston when I was 17 right

after I graduated so um and spent a few

years there I came I went there in 1988

887 and then came back here in Vegas in

'95 and what brought you back in '95 was

that the uh get the hell out of Dodge

yeah yeah that that was so explain the

reason why like coming back which is a

blessing in disguise as well too you

know yeah know those guys did me the

biggest favor of all time you know I was

doing business back there I was training

people out of a gym and and uh you know

a couple of dudes that work for Whitey

showed up and and and uh were looking

for some money that I couldn't pay them

and uh eventually one day I was at my

house and and uh I got a call and they

said you got till tomorrow to pay us and

I'm like or what or you're going to find

out so I literally hung up the phone

picked it back up called Delta got a

oneway ticket back in Vegas I left all

my [ __ ] like that's how serious it was

though I left everything when you get

here to or you just get up and you say

man oneway ticket what are you coming to

in Vegas well I came back here my sister

was living here at the time um so I came

back and

uh my uh I stayed with my sister but my

wife picked me up at the airport you

know her and I had been friends since we

were in eth grade so she picked me up at

the

airport um stayed with my sister for a

little bit went out and got a job and

then started the whole boxing thing but

uh yeah that was I mean me and my wife

my wife picked me up at the airport

we've been together ever since what's

the boxing thing here when you say you

started the boxing thing so in Vegas

there was a boxing gym boxing was

thriving in Vegas at the time you're

talking you know mid90s

1995 you still had Tyson and and and uh

all all the big heavyweight names Rick

bow and you know the list goes on and on

there were a couple of big boxing gyms

here in town that that that were popping

at the time and I ended up at a place

called United Champions and it was me

Roger Mayweather oh Jesus uh Nick one

kick who who was a muy Thai Guy we we

were basically the three principles in

this gym I was doing Fitness stuff Roger

Mayweather obviously was you know

training Fighters and Nick one KCK was

uh was was working with you know muy

Thai type clients and stuff like that

and that's how I ended up uh connecting

with Floyd that's how Floyd and I first

met each other was through um Jeff

Mayweather Roger's brother you know we

were all working out of the this gym and

Roger was [ __ ] nuts right no nuts the

[ __ ] that used to go on in this gym

every day

was yeah what did you want to be you

know because if you if did you think

that was everything like man I'm I'm in

Vegas I'm training I have a facility did

you think that that was everything or

you felt you knew you wanted something

bigger so my thing was always this uh

you know I walked out of a job when I

was like 19 years old and I wanted to be

in the fight game you know everybody

thought I was nuts in any capacity not

not handson but any capacity I wanted to

learn every single piece of the business

and I did everything I mean I trained I

boxed I I uh refereed I worked Corners

uh you know I did everything the fitness

side of it was you know for me to have

the ability to make money MH and stay in

the sport and learn everything that I

could about the sport you know I just

kept learning it was like some kids go

to college and you know I'm I'm I'm in

college for whatever major I'm in but

they don't really know what they want to

do but they know they want to they think

they want to be in this I knew I knew

from the time that I was 19 years old

that I wanted to be in the fight

business so I had to go to college and

that's what I did did you stay in

college or no like how you talking about

that college like that was your college

exactly my college was to the school of

experience so there was a guy named

Welsh in Boston and this guy was a a

legend street fighting and boxing this

was the type of dude at the time that

you didn't seek him out you didn't this

is the guy you went looking for kind of

thing but I went looking for him I

finally caught up with him because all I

had heard this guy was like a a living

legend and he's young he's in his 20s at

this time and uh I sought him out and I

said I know this is weird you don't know

me but I want I want to work under you I

want you to teach me everything you know

about fighting and what's even crazier

is he took me in how old are you at that

time I'm 19 19 or 20 yeah and he took me

in and I started working under him and

started to learn and obviously started

to meet people through him and uh then

the thing goes down where I come back to

Vegas and I had already been with Peter

Welsh for you know two or three years so

I I i' had acquired a ton of knowledge

in the sport and then I came out here

and planted my flag and started doing my

own thing and started to work my way up

and uh yeah at one point when do you

know that there's something out there

that's that's other than boxing you know

you know the fight game but when you

started to see this almost brawl damn

near bare knuckle thing called right UFC

were you a fan early on too before you

got involved did you see something

coming no I watched the first one like

everybody did everybody heard about this

thing and we watched the first one and

then I never really thought about it

again because I was such a huge fan of

boxing you know what I mean a student of

boxing at the time and uh it wasn't

until Frank fatita and I were out one

night at the Hard Rock here in Vegas and

we saw a guy named John Lewis who was

fought in the UFC and he was a Jiu-Jitsu

guy who had the only Jiu-Jitsu school

here in Vegas and Frank verti actually

said I've always wanted to learn that

ground stuff or whatever I said me too I

said I know this guy let we'll go talk

to him so we went over and we talked to

John Lewis that night and we set up an

appointment with him for Monday to try

Jiu-Jitsu so then we took we grabbed

Lorenzo me Frank and Lorenzo went to our

first Jiu-Jitsu lesson with with John

Lewis on that Monday and after that we

became addicted to it we we literally

started to train 3 4 days a week and

um yeah then we started to meet meat

some of the fighters and we were blown

away by how smart these guys were and

they weren't what you expected the

stigma that was attached to the sport at

the time we didn't see it we like these

guys are college educated they're family

men they're good guys they're not you

know thugs like and you look at things

now like MMA Jiu-Jitsu everything is is

is huge now but even when you're

speaking about there was one Jiu-Jitsu

school in in right here right you know

now you pop up and and it's everywhere

people didn't even know what MMA stood

for back in the days and that how do you

put so much into something that is so

unknown yeah because now it's it's like

oh okay we we know that now but to just

say I love this and this is what I want

to do yeah so so our philosophy was we

think if we do this the right way build

this like a real sport and these are

real athletes we think this thing could

really be big someday and the question

is always about timing is the timing

right or not and and thank God the

timing actually was perfect it's it's

the same thing that I did with power

slap that you see you know you see all

these people talking [ __ ] about you

train for that [ __ ] we get to that but

go ahead you see all these people

talking [ __ ] about this thing right now

it is identical to the UFC same stuff

that went on EX I've seen this 100% I've

I've been here and done this before I

know exactly how this works what about

sanctioning for let tell you what

happens to when the media shits on

something right and telling you this is

bad don't do the you know you got

something you're like all right press a

little harder yeah they talking [ __ ]

well these are all guys that have never

built

anything they uh nobody's ever depended

on them for a paycheck they they don't

understand any so it's it's almost the

the the exact look like if if the media

is like oh this is the greatest thing

that's ever happened it's like I don't

know maybe when the media hates it you

got it you got it and you know you

they're they're the ones that you that

you gauge off if you want to know if

you've got something successful you got

you got to have the media to tell you

it's horrible and it'll never work Dana

going from where when we talk about

early UFC and you say oh I saw it I kind

of backed away from it I was I was a

boxing guy y jiujitsu when do you become

intrigued with UFC not not MMA but when

you saw a company that was called so

here's what's fascinating so we start

training with uh John Lewis John Lewis

starts to bring all these fighters in to

train with us we start to meet these

guys and we're like wow these these guys

are you know what I loved about him is

everybody had a different story in

boxing everybody's got the same story

man I came from the Mean Streets of such

and such if it wasn't for boxing I'd be

dead or in jail these guys were the

exact opposite they went to college here

they did this if you grew up if you grew

up and became a boxer you came from a

hard upbringing right and you got into

some get off the streets program and you

started the box right if you these MMA

guys if you took martial arts growing up

or you wrestled you came from money

right right you know what I mean nobody

took martial arts classes and they were

in a broke family you know what I mean

you came up from from from poverty so

these guys all had different stories and

and we were totally into it so we ended

up going to our first UFC event right

and I think it was in it was either in

New Orleans or it was in Atlantic City I

can't remember CRA you're in the

audience did you pay to get in or you

just had like we paid to get in yeah we

paid our tickets we went and we started

looking

around man imagine if we did this

imagine if we did that this thing could

be big but not even thinking that this

is a possibility or you fa or that we

would own it right right so this story

is crazy I don't even know if I've ever

told this story before but um so we

start to meet these guys and for

whatever reason some of these guys start

gravitating toward me and want me to

manage them right so I start managing

Chuck and Tito yeah okay and and those

were the the guys right at that time the

UFC didn't even want Chuck Liddell they

didn't want him in the UFC uh they

wouldn't sign him I was trying to get

the UFC to sign Chuck Liddell at that

time they're like nah he's you going in

as man we don't think he's got it we

don't think he's that guy we don't think

he can be a star you know he's got the

Mohawk all played out whatever whatever

their weird [ __ ] was at the time that

they didn't want Chuck Liddell so um

there was this guy named Wayne Harman

and he owned a company with John Lewis

called the

WFA right so he calls me and says I want

you to run the w fa I want you to come

in and take this over and I want you to

run this company and I'm willing to

offer you offer me like 200,000 a year

and this is back then yeah this is in uh

this has got to be in uh 99 or 2000

right I I I can't remember the exact

date I'm going to give you a house I'm

going to pay you 200,000 I want you to

come in and run this company for me and

I was like all right let let me think

about this so I called Lorenzo and I

said I just got this offer to run the

WFA and he's like what the [ __ ] I

thought you and I were going to do

something together I said I'm out wow

yep we will so I turn this this guy's

offer down I [ __ ] you

not two weeks three weeks later I'm on a

call with Bob Myers Goosebumps telling

you this [ __ ] story so I'm on a call

with Bob Meer which the owner of the

UFC and I'm trying to negotiate Tito's

contract and I'm trying to get Chuck

into the UFC right

and they had screwed Tito over on some

money and stuff so I'm trying to get the

money back that Tito got screwed over on

with UFC with the UFC at the time and uh

finally Bob mywoods [ __ ] snaps and he

says you know what there is no more

[ __ ] money I don't even know if I

have enough money to put on the next

event that he freaks out of me right and

it hangs up and we get off the phone I

go holy [ __ ] I called lenzo and Frank

they're in Miami right and I said I just

got off the phone with Bob myts he just

[ __ ] freaked out of me man basically

said there's no more money with the UFC

he's probably going to go BK blah blah

blah blah blah I think we could buy the

UFC and I think we should do it I said

Lorenzo you should give him a call and

and whatever Lorenzo calls Bob meitz and

the negotiation starts for the uh for

the UFC now there's there's no

assumptions that anything's going to

happen I never asked for anything I

never whatever long story short we start

going down the road with these guys and

two months later three months later

whatever the whatever the time to

Lorenzo ends up buying the UFC him and

Frank call me over and they're like we

want you to be the president of the

company we want you to run it so you

literally went from trying to get Tito

his money yeah getting cursed out or

someone yelling CH into the UFC yeah to

calling and saying hey I I think there's

a move here yeah I think we could I

think we could buy this thing and I

think we should so did y'all really get

the UFC for $2 million 2 million paid 22

million for It 2 million and an old

octagon right so the name and an octagon

Bob meertz to keep this thing alive had

stripped everything that he sold away

the video game rights the DVD rights the

you know it wasn't DVD at the time it

was [ __ ] the videotape rights

everything all the ancillary things that

go around the UFC were sold off

we bought the three letters UFC old

wooden octagon and like 12 or 13

contracts guys that he had under

contract did anyone when you said or the

fatita brothers when they said $2

million Did anyone say man why are you

throwing your money away

everybody all the [ __ ] smart K genius

now all the smart kids that work for the

UFC at the I mean for the uh for tias

you know on the on the finance side

don't do it beg them not to do this beg

them not to do it then once we started

to get into we were like the redheaded

stepchild of the [ __ ] of the fertita

portfolio oh really oh yeah the UFC like

dude hat this is garbage they hated it

everybody that was a and

and even more respect to the fertita

brothers for for for you know staying in

there cuz everybody that that worked for

them hated the UFC and thought that this

was the worst idea and they were going

to lose shitloads of money and I could

kind of understand that early

you know of everything in the rearview

mirror is [ __ ] genius when you're

looking through the windshield it's like

oh stop this [ __ ] stop this [ __ ] but

when we think about 2 million there's

people that say I would have put into

that because what the Empire is worth

now yeah but y'all take 2 million and

it's not successful off of 2 million and

and and it's still a lot of work and the

true story is no you wouldn't you

wouldn't have put up 2 million at the

time not not at their time anybody could

have done it right and and Vince McMahon

this is what from what I hear his son

Shane wanted to buy the UFC Vince had

the opportunity to buy it and Vince said

yeah no we're not going to buy it Vince

could have bought this thing and just

put it on the shelf or Vince could have

bought it and let his son you know it's

funny because I think the right

[ __ ] got it though there's I

don't believe in much okay I don't

believe in much but I I believe in

timing for some reason I believe in

karma for some reason there C certain

things that I do believe in um but the

universe works in crazy ways we were

meant to buy this you know feel

automatic there's hard work but it

almost feel like the sun moon the star

everything that's supposed to 100% And

if Lorenzo was sitting here right now

Lorenzo would tell you he said it a

million times and he says it to me all

the [ __ ] time he's

like you were me you were put on this

[ __ ] Earth y to do this this is what

you were put on this Earth to do every

big and small thing right was was for

this we start having a couple drinks me

and him and we start talking about how

everything just sort of align so there

was a point in time where I was so

focused

on where I was going to go and and in my

career right wherever that was going to

take me we we could be friends for

whatever I didn't go to anybody's

wedding right I didn't go to anybody you

you know that that that point in your

life when all your friends start to get

[ __ ] married it's like wedding after

[ __ ] wedding after and I'm out why

I'm I'm too busy yeah I don't have time

for that kind of [ __ ] what did people

tell you person blanket it was a blanket

[ __ ] policy it wasn't just yours I've

known you for 20 [ __ ] years yeah love

you I'm not yeah I won't be to your

wedding send you a nice gift here here's

a [ __ ] here's a because you I'm send

toaster and a [ __ ] blender I'm not

coming to your [ __ ] CU you focused

this is all all I gave a [ __ ] about was

work and and and this is at the time

where I'm in United Champions with

Mayweather and one kick you know what I

mean so um there's this kid that I went

to school with named Adam Corgan Jesus

Christ I got to go to this [ __ ]

gourman [ __ ] Adam Corgan owns a bunch of

bars and restaurants here in town right

now right this [ __ ] he was rich I was

poor right say that again bro yeah he

was rich and I was poor this [ __ ] guy

used to pick me up every day day and

drive me to school every day okay he'd

have to get up

earlier to get ready for school to drive

all the way over to my house pick me up

and drive me to school every day this

dude's getting

married there's no [ __ ] way I'm not

going to his wedding okay for what this

guy I never forget what people do for me

there's no way I'm not going to Adam

corgan's wedding

okay everybody else's wedding and I'm

not going right I go I go to Adam

corgan's wedding right and I have to go

by myself my girlfriend at the time who

was my wife is off doing something else

what what's worse than going to a

wedding going to a [ __ ] Wedding by

yourself okay I go to this wedding who

do I run into Lorenzo and Frank fertita

I haven't seen them since high school so

oh my God they approached me at the

wedding and they said hey we heard

you're doing this boxing thing Lorenzo

says to me I just got on the Nevada

State athletic commission I would love

to come over and train with

you look at look at [ __ ] Goosebumps

and this is one of those things so

Lorenzo comes Monday to train with me

we've been together ever since at a

wedding the only wedding that I would go

to where the [ __ ] would I run into

Lorenzo fertita and Frank fertita had

had I KN gone to that wedding these are

the type of things that align that we

were just talking about that's one of

was the movie people say oh that's

[ __ ] you know what I'm saying if the

if that was the movie where like oh you

know he wasn't going to weddings then he

goes there and and then you know happily

ever after it's it sounds like [ __ ]

it's crazy but it's the realest [ __ ]

that's the stuff that happens and align

in your life and I bet I could sit here

and you could tell me 30 stories of how

that happened to you it's not that

interesting though you know what I'm

saying it's not as interesting but yeah

I could you know we'll do that on the

next interview so you get the UFC for

y'all get the UFC for $2 million mhm

it's not automatically the cash cow that

people thought it was or what it is

today right and at some point you still

there's still

4050 million dollar that you guys got to

still put into UFC for one you can't get

sanctioned anywhere right it's barbaric

nobody wants to see it there's no

rules what was that like early on did

you feel like y'all waste $2 million

well think about this right this thing

we we knew to make this successful we

had to get this thing on television MH

when we bought it it wasn't allowed on

pay-per-view right you as a grown

adult didn't have the option to buy this

on pay-per-view porn right was on

pay-per-view UFC was not allowed on

pay-per-view that's how bad it was so

for anybody you know looking at this now

going oh this was an no-brainer right

you weren't a lot on Pay-per-view

no commission Not only would commissions

not sanction it in a couple places it

was actually illegal right number one um

and and number two no venues wanted us

right right who would want these Savages

to show up at your

Arena and you know and then that plays

into the Donald Trump uh relationship we

can't get a venue Donald Trump actually

says come to the Taj because you you

were literally had a fight card together

so when we bought it there was already a

there was already a card planned that we

had to pull off in like two and a half

three weeks we'd never done production

before we we we'd never put on a fight

we'd never done any of that [ __ ] but I

knew what I wanted I knew you know I

felt like I knew exactly what fight fans

wanted to see what they want now I

needed to build it now needed to make it

happen and and uh but uh yeah I mean we

went to the Taj Trump cut us a deal

showed up to the first fight stayed to

the last you know both times that we put

on a card there Trump brand here right

right at that time UFC brand here right

you know the fact that this guy saw it

from the day we did that deal with him

and did whatever every good thing that

had happened to me in my career after

that you know we get back on

pay-per-view we end up doing a spike

deal from there we do a fox deal this

guy would like there was a big write up

about us the first time in the New York

Times that we ever got in the New York

Times he sent me the New York Times and

it said Dana I always knew you were

going to do it congratulations Donald

Trump sent me the paper there's a diff

with you and Donald Trump relationship

there's something different there than

political no it's it's it's loyalty it's

it's a loyal this guy has been a good

friend he's been you know a guy who did

something at a time saw something in

this thing when nobody else did and did

something for us that nobody else would

at that time and what did I just tell

you about the wedding there's no way I'm

not going to Adam corgan's wedding right

of course I'm going to go to Adam

corgan's wedding when I don't go to

anybody's wedding When Donald Trump ends

up calling me he's going to get into

politics and says this is what he called

me and said if you don't want to do this

I completely understand but I would be

honored if you would speak at the you

know Republican convention for me now

before that day look at me politically

right right nothing

nothing you think I'm not going to go

speak for Donald Trump right that's your

damn right I am the buddy no I look what

this guy's look what this guy did for us

now he calls me ah I don't want to be

political and I'm I can't tou and I

didn't show up and give a political

speech I could give a [ __ ] about the

politics of everything else I showed up

and told you this is the relationship

that I've had with this guy and this is

who this guy is and this is who this guy

has been to me since the day I met him

you want to talk about a loyal dude and

whatever I I can't tell you enough good

things about Donald Trump I want to get

back also to this first getting the UFC

thing as well when you grab that is

there any time where you felt like you

guys made a bad decision because now you

still got to put money into it you still

got commissions you still got the

sanctions you still got to build this

brand up was it work that you enjoyed

doing or did you feel like [ __ ] what did

we do first of all one thing about me

is I love adversity you know what I mean

some people fold yeah under adversity

some people can't deal with chaos some

people can't handle the pressure I love

that [ __ ] I I [ __ ] that's what gets

me up in the morning I eat that [ __ ] for

[ __ ] breakfast negativity on on on

social media negativity from the media

negativity from whoever they are that

are out there talking [ __ ] I love that

[ __ ] and that's what motivates me and

gets me going so the more you give me

the more you energize me the more you

you you you make me go I I can't explain

it to you I thrive in chaos man what is

the fight that saved UFC um because well

let let me let me tell you this first so

we we got all this [ __ ] there there was

no real social media back in those days

and the media would not cover us so this

gets into how do you and I know each

other and how do you and I have this

longtime relationship that we have I'll

tell you exactly how because we were not

we couldn't get coverage from anybody so

we went out and started to buy radio

yeah so we radio was incredibly [ __ ]

powerful at that time right you were

driving in your cars the morning you

know you know we went in and we bought

radio so that was our social media at

the time that was our you know arm media

I did more [ __ ] radio I I I would

like to see somebody I don't give a [ __ ]

if you're Jay-Z I would like to see

somebody that did more [ __ ] radio

than me from 2001 to 2005 and then even

567 I was still doing tons of radio and

I had to get up at

3:30 in the morning because I had to hit

the morning drive on the East Coast so

from 3 :30 in the morning till 7:8 in

the morning I would do nonstop radio cuz

I'd start at 3:30 in the morning on the

East Coast then we'd work our way to the

mid the Midwest yeah then I'd be on your

radio show you

know because there was no so you had to

wear many hats it wasn't like

departments and well then the other

thing was it got to a point it ain't

like now we're we're like everybody's on

[ __ ] zoom and doing all this [ __ ] so

we'd do the radio tour that I would buy

but then most of you guys would be like

yeah no we want you in studio yeah yeah

I'd have to [ __ ] fly to New York I'd

have to fly to Boston and I'd be in a

van and we would go from radio station

to radio station to radio station then

I'd have to do the Midwest I'd have to

go down to the [ __ ] uh to the South

I'd have to go out to LA and I'd have to

do all these in studio yeah we'll take

you three on the radio but then we need

you in studio for this m so

insane I mean this is this is the the

travel schedule that I had then I'd have

to go to all the fights and do all this

other [ __ ] yeah I was on the road there

there was a couple of years there where

I was actually in the air more than I

was on the ground type [ __ ] together

yeah as we started to get more and more

fights but we built this entire business

off radio in the early days man thank

you for saying that no but's the truth

but that's how you and I became friends

I mean you and I met other and there

there's there's a handful of guys and

you're one of them that I became really

good friends with from my radio days

it's like you Jim Rome this guy birdy

from Boston uh that had a radio show out

there and a couple others after the

first one or when you feel like this is

okay this is do or die you know how does

this work what what fight because I know

that people say oh man when Griffin and

boner when they got into when they got

into the ring the Octagon was that the

one that you you feel saves UFC so we're

30 something million dollars in the hole

I get the call from Lorenzo and he's

like I can't keep doing this man we're

bleeding money I need you to get out

there and find out what we could sell

this thing for right now and we're 30

something million in the whole I go here

we go I start making all these calls to

really sell it yeah I call him back in

the you know 6 7even at night I said six

seven8 million bucks we could sell this

thing for right now 30 million in the

hole we're lucky we're good if we get

678 yeah and you're talking this ain't

2001 right when we got it you're talking

this is 2004 you know middle of

2004 and

uh he says all right all right I'll call

you tomorrow so Lorenzo tells the story

all the time he's like you know how you

you know you get you're at the end of

[ __ ] day a lot of [ __ ] Weighing on

your mind he makes this call to me and I

tell him the number and you wake up they

sleep on it you wake up the next morning

literally calls me the next morning 700

in the morning says [ __ ] it [ __ ] it

let's keep going so keep

going we end up getting to a point where

Spike TV mhm they launch Spike TV which

used to be like the Nashville Network or

something now it's it's going to be the

uh the network for men

yeah if we don't fit in this [ __ ]

Network we don't fit anywhere exactly

100% I mean we would have done a deal

with the [ __ ] Food Channel back then

you know uh we would have been on any

channel that we could get on but we go

out we meet with these guys and we pitch

them on the idea for The Ultimate

Fighter they don't like it so Spike TV

Dam yeah they don't like it These Guys

these guys can't get out of this [ __ ]

meeting fast enough I remember we were

in La this is the channel for me and

they were going to the Dodgers game

night they're like yeah they're looking

at their watches and [ __ ] they can't get

out of this meeting fast enough so we

end up calling them back and saying well

how about if we pay for it we'll put up

the $10

million to produce this show wow and

then you guys air it for free they like

that idea about that yeah that they like

take money so again the beautiful thing

about the way that things work out and

how things happen now we're 40 something

million in the whole so this is the last

10 million that the fertitas are going

to invest in the UFC if this doesn't

work it's over it's over so

um we air the first season of The

Ultimate Fighter and this [ __ ] thing

just starts to go like this yeah man you

know by the fifth episode we're pulling

2.3 2.4 million

viewers they fire the president of the

network halfway through the season a

good fire or a bad fire for UFC I don't

know how bad fire for us so they fire

him

so you know everybody watching knows

when you see a successful show on TV

right when it takes on they're on

[ __ ] buses there's commercials

everywhere yeah we're on no [ __ ]

buses there's no [ __ ] Billboards

there's no nothing everybody at Spike TV

is hiding in their cubicles afraid

they're going to get fired next right I

start flying to New York and I'm waiting

in the lobby at Spike TV and they won't

even see me I sit in there for [ __ ]

hours they won't even see me I got I got

the hottest show on the network they

won't even see

me

so finally I pull so there's a guy named

Doug Herzog okay Doug Herzog runs all

the networks and they had a guy sitting

in as acting president his name was

Kevin K and Kevin K ended up becoming

the president of the network but the

Doug Herzog was the most powerful guy at

that time in this Viacom block he had

like uh comedy Center

Spike MTV VH1 and and all these

different channels that he ran so I pull

this [ __ ] move I tell the lady at the

desk I said you know what let these guys

know I'm going to meet with Kevin I'm

going to meet with Doug Herzog okay I'm

going to meet with him and I'll get back

you guys whatever I didn't make it out

of the building they they come back and

pull me back and long story short we end

up meeting with Doug Herzog Doug Herzog

ends up being a [ __ ] great guy I end

up really liking this guy a lot and uh

you know we start to talk about what

what's possible so we still don't have a

deal for a season two or any of that so

we get into the

finale Forest Griffin and Stephan boner

go out and put on that fight at when

that fight happened I knew like I don't

even give a [ __ ] what's going to H we're

going to end up somewhere after this the

spike guys literally pulled us out into

the alley and we did a [ __ ] deal on a

napkin that night for our deal with

Spike TV and um yeah that that was that

was where the whole thing turned turned

the corner so now you starting to see

UFC kind of taking a turn you know you

you you see Spike TV has come on board

the hard work is not starting to pay off

but you kind of seem like you're turning

this corner oh no what what did that

feel like when you started to turn that

corner yeah we we we feel it and who are

a Fighters at that time the fighters

when we started to to to to to you know

hit hit uphill were

um Chuck Lidell Tito Ortiz um you know

Stefan and all the guys that came off

The Ultimate Fighter all became stars

immediately um Matt Hughes sir Rich

Franklin you know th those were like our

Our Stars at the time and uh you know I

I I it just we knew it we felt it now

we're on TV we're starting to see a

difference in pay-per-view buys we start

uh cutting the fighters in on a piece of

the pay-per-view so it's it's all and

and it's it had a

very family feeling at the time you know

me and Chuck Liddell were super tight me

and Matt Hughes were super tight Rich

Franklin uh you know Forest Griffin was

in that building right over there

working right now um you know so it was

fun we were having a good time the work

is still hard of course yeah no was the

work isn't hard when you love what

you're doing you know we were grinding

but uh it it was it was a great

experience

and we were loving it I couldn't imagine

we had this conversation earlier and

I've had it before I couldn't imagine

UFC without Dana White you know like if

Vince McMahon would have purchased UFC

it' be a totally different Beast if

anything at all especially to this day

right and the popularity of what this

brand is and from a guy that say you

know I went to a wedding I you know I

saw some old friends of mine we figured

out something we made it think about how

many people eat off of UFC today and

have eaten off of UFC and UFC and how

much joy like I plan Saturday nights

around pay-per-view events where it's

like okay I can't go yet you know what

I'm saying I I'm not leaving the house

until I watch this and I'm talking about

every under you never know what's going

to be fight of the night and when I

watch UFC for one why are you

at the table you could be anywhere in

the UFC but you choose to be at that

table watching it on a monitor yeah why

so so I'm still an absolute lunatic

about the there's there's a massive

company now yeah and lots of ancillary

things spin off the brand video games

merchandise gyms etc etc right

and one of the things that you have to

really stay focused on is not losing

your [ __ ] mind I get in here every

[ __ ] day 8:30 9:00 I leave every day

at 7:30 qu to 8 okay I'm here all day

every day and the things that I focus on

is the live event on television and in

house MH finding up incoming talent and

putting on the best fights that I can

possibly put on now if I stay focused on

that you can't [ __ ] this thing up you

know what I mean you can't forget who

you are cuz you could get out there and

start worrying about listen video games

and all that other stuff is great but if

without the core of what this business

really is none of that [ __ ] matters what

are you looking at when you're watching

that monit so there's a there's a phone

on the table that goes directly to the

truck when I pick it up and I'm always

looking for Perfection I want the

perfect show every Saturday night and it

can be um you know I'm unhappy with

something that's happening here music's

too loud music's too low um you know

I'll tell you what happened the other

day I called picked up the I said tell

Craig to come out here he's my head of

production we had these spotlights that

went all the way around the arena that

look cool on TV but if you were there in

the live audience it was shining on

these people's heads I said these people

are watching the [ __ ] show why are

these spotlights shining on their head

during the fight and this is already

live yeah this is why we're live these

are all the little details that I'm

looking at during the play and then

what's happening inside the Octagon I

cannot [ __ ] control okay but what's

happening on that monitor I can do you

watch the fights do you enjoy the fights

yeah yeah yeah so I'll watch the fights

but you're doing everything everything

that's going on inside the arena live

and on TV even the experience of us

having lights on our head you're

concerned about that

100% 100% I want to make sure that

everybody's experience on television and

in the live event is as [ __ ] close to

perfect as we can get when did you know

had that feeling that it was starting

because now you will go and you'll see

not even now you'll see stars in the

audience it's it's a lifestyle it's not

just guys just kind of sitting down want

to see people beat the heck out of each

other it has

become popular it has become culture pop

culture yeah when did you know that that

was coming or did you see like man did

you see who did you have the the moment

of did you see who was in the audience

tonight well not only that but it's like

when you talk about go on YouTube and

type in fights like street fights

they're starting a street fight like MMA

now the street fights are like MMA

fights guys will pick them up yeah and

dump them on their head um and go to the

ground then you started to see like in

movies and TV right TV shows there was

like a boxing ring and they'd always now

now it's all [ __ ] cages and and stuff

like that you see it's starting to take

over and pop culture um and you know

people don't even

now when you and I grew up your parents

would put you in karate or Taekwondo or

something these kids are taking mixed

martial arts now for the martial art so

you know I started to see that start to

happen in like 20101 is when it really

started to to turn and take over the

whole boxing uh you know boxing was pop

pop culture and you saw rings and the

talked about boxing and now it's all at

any point when you get the UFC and you

start putting money into it did you ever

think about changing the name UFC early

on or you always knew the one thing that

we knew we had when we spent the $2

million those three letters UFC that

letter good bad whatever the you heard

of it yeah you heard of it and then when

you started to see sort of the you know

for lack of a better turn the sloppy

carbon copies coming up when you started

to see those do do you feel like we got

to squash them or they'll squash

themselves because they they'll never be

us no well listen that if you look at

the ones that are still out there I mean

they copy every single thing we do

everything we do from getting into the

Octagon the way we do it you know all

the stuff that goes on they literally

copy every single thing we do and

everything with UFC is beautiful though

you see the lights you see everything is

beautiful and it's pristine and it's

clean you know I come up also from

enjoying boxing enjoying and I would

look at certain Sports and I'm like oh

look at the lighting you know I don't

know if I'm too close to it if I'm a

production guy but I look at certain

things and I'm like you know the pickup

CR what what the audience look like what

this what the seating look like

everything new that comes out that's you

know in advance in production we try and

we try to do new things and and try to

keep it fresh if you really look at you

and I coming up in boxing the gold

standard at the time was HBO right the

gold boxing but what changed in 30

[ __ ] years of them cover they had the

same announced team you know same setup

same style um and the only thing that

changed was HD right right right all the

same [ __ ] HBO really wasn't that good it

was the best but it really wasn't that

good and one of the things that I really

hated about HBO boxing and boxing you

know in our

Heyday is the commentary Larry Merchant

was [ __ ] Terri terrible that guy is

[ __ ] terrible I mean I'm tuning in I

idolize [ __ ] Mike Tyson you know I I

idolized [ __ ] some of these guys and

you would hear that even even Floyd I

mean even Floyd Larry Merchant gets in

there and starts ripping him apart after

his fight and says if I was 30 years

older I'd kick your ass 30 years younger

I you wouldn't do younger if I was 30

years yeah what the [ __ ] are you talking

about you dementia I mean it just

I hated it right you don't ever hear our

commentators talk bad about our Fighters

these guy what these guys are doing

they're stepping in the ring they're

stepping in the Octagon the they're

they're they're they're putting

everything on the line in front of the

whole world to test themselves against

somebody who's trained as hard and as

good as them who the [ __ ] are

you to have anything negative or

criticize what they do you can talk

about the fight matchup Styles this that

I hated HBO's boxing his commentary

Lampley was a [ __ ] fool too guy was a

total fool I couldn't stand the whole

team so I took all the things that I

right uh hated about HBO boxing and made

you know UFC better because of it when

you look at where it's at now and you I

mean you never hold your tongue you know

we've seen some great fighters in enter

and exit as a human being bro have you

ever

disliked one of your Fighters where

you're just like oh

absolutely AB because you're a human

being first yeah yeah yeah yeah right

there is there anyone there there's many

guys that I disliked and is there anyone

that you thought like man I hope he get

his ass beat tonight Tito Ortiz I mean

it was very [ __ ] very out in the open

man when him and Chuck fought you know

as the promoter you're not supposed to

have a rooting interest I couldn't

[ __ ] wait to see whoop his ass 100%

yeah no it it you know especially that's

the real [ __ ] though at such a critical

time in in the Sports Development and

and in the in the development of the UFC

there are probably two guys that that

that absolutely tried to destroy the

company at that time and it was Tito

Ortiz and Randy Couture really 100% yeah

two two of the worst guys to ever

[ __ ] deal with but you had a

relationship early on with t cuz you cuz

you managed them % so that went from

sugar to [ __ ] it did it

did and so when you were like man were

you vocal about I hope he lose or could

we just tail did I miss no I don't think

I was ever vocal about it you know it

was a lot of behind the scenes stuff

with me and him a lot of T here's the

problem with Tito and Tito is just a

really dumb human being he's he's not

intelligent at all he's very very

[ __ ] stupid okay let's start there

and I mean look at him speak public

anytime look Google Tito where te is

talking

okay you know and and I don't have any

beef with Tito anymore andto you know

you're [ __ ] stupid Tito you know you

are so Tito would we we'd be coming up

to a big fight that was on Saturday

right deals have been done for months

Tito would call and say I'm not going to

show up unless you pay me another

150,000 or whatever the number was he

would do this on the

regular you know and I would go [ __ ]

crazy and we would you know but these

are the kind of Tito was always the type

of guy that would step over dollars to

pick up dimes okay wow because he

thought he was smart but he was the

complete opposite of smart

he's yeah he's not a smart guy

so he destroyed what could have been an

incredible relationship because we love

Tito at the time you know Tito was our

guy Tito was my guy Franken Lorenzo

loved Tito and and you know he he uh

absolutely destroyed a relationship that

he could have had for the rest of his

life um over

Nicholls Nicholls in the big picture

Chuck Liddell was the exact opposite

Chuck Liddell still has the relationship

you know we still take care of Chuck

Liddell we still do good things for

Chuck liell cuz Chuck Lidell is a good

person right he's not stupid he's very

smart actually and you know when you're

in a business type relationship it's not

always perfect it's not always whatever

sometimes there's hard feelings about

certain things or whatever

but there's loyalty is a big deal you

know loyalty is a big deal and loyalty

goes both ways not a one-way Street

loyalty loyal loyalty is a two-way

street and uh you know we've had a lot

of those great relationships with with

with a lot of these guys and girls my

Ronda Rousey relationship and with Ronda

Rousey at one point you probably didn't

see women in UFC I mean it's there's a

famous TMZ clip where I said women will

never fight in the UFC and you have to

understand at the point in time when I

said that we were trying to get people

to accept men fighting in a game

women yeah no way I I want will you pull

up YouTube on your phone real quick I I

I just I want to get this in the show

listen to the commentary as he heads

toward the same ring he made his

disgraceful exit in June of 97 the

crowd reved up disgraceful exit Tyson

entering to

some scary imposing

music [ __ ] [ __ ] scary even with

the win tonight no matter how onesided

he will still have his

detractors following the two fights to

with Holyfield his stop plummeted the

pundits came down hard feeling they were

dup at his Knockouts were over second R

Fighters now the all he does I just so

they said all his Knockouts were over

second rate Fighters so I you know I

just paid back then what $30 [ __ ]

dollars whatever and whatever sitting at

home and I [ __ ] love Mike Tyson and I

got to listen to this [ __ ] fool

talking [ __ ] ripping him apart while he

walks into the ring it's just like and

then a lot of I used to just I used to

mute the [ __ ] commentary from these

morons I mean you

imagine you're buying this [ __ ] fight

because you are a Tyson fan right and

you got to listen to this bozo who knows

nothing about fighting knows nothing

about you know when you see Mike talk

about where he comes from and what's

going on in his life and all these other

things that are happening with him right

this this is this is what you're going

to get while you're walking into the you

made a conscious decision and effort to

make sure that your guys didn't do that

y listen that's that's not what we do

here your your personal opinion of Mike

Tyson or or or Jon Jones or [ __ ]

Conor McGregor or any of these guys that

are walking into the we don't want to

hear your [ __ ] [ __ ] you're there to

be an analyst about the fight here comes

Mike Tyson you know how does he match up

against boa is he gonna and basically

this guy I just bought the fight and

he's saying this fight's going to be

one-sided no matter how one-sided fight

this is this guy's been knocking out

bumbs is basically what he's saying who

the [ __ ] are you it's s like one of the

Albert Brothers I don't know who he

is you're talking [ __ ] about fight

fighting mhm who the [ __ ] are you right

I mean this is just the stuff that used

to drive me crazy right and who are you

to judge Mike Tyson while he's walking

into the ring you should be an analyst

and you should be talking about him and

boa and how's this going to match up

that time you're a spectator right I'm

I'm a fan of boxing I'm I'm there

watching the thing and I got to listen

to this [ __ ]

bozo just decimate Mike Tyson while he

walks into the into the ring on a fight

that I just paid $30 to watch but do you

know do you know what I mean now that I

say that these are the things that I

used to watch and say these are the

things that I hate about the production

know you're watching for your future or

you just know as a fan like as a fan as

a fan I was watching going this is I got

to mute these morons they're terrible

you know from him this guy saying this

this is one of the Albert Brothers I

have no idea who it was then you got

Larry Merchant who says nothing but dumb

[ __ ] the entire time then jumps in and

tells Floyd Mayweather if he was 30

years younger he'd kick his ass

this is this these are the guys yeah

that are covering time you're kind of

learning what not to do

100% I'm say that boxing didn't do great

things too things that I liked

definitely that Tyson Walkin if you take

that babbling idiot out of it that Tyson

Walkin is one of the baddest things

you'll ever see man I was there live it

was [ __ ] SC Tyson was so scary man

that when he walked in you could be home

on your couch like holy [ __ ] you know

what I mean but that that's part of the

[ __ ] excitement and energy about what

boxing felt like to me and no disrespect

to what boxing is today but boxing felt

like to me where it was like okay we

can't leave because Tyson's going to

knock this person out literally you

couldn't use the restroom you couldn't

make a plan we would literally be ready

to go out and we would say all right and

we're watching we're watching the TV

boom he's out all right let's go well

that's what boxing was for me this is

what UFC is to everyone now Tyson is

very much like Conor McGregor right say

it you don't want to miss the press

conference you don't want to miss the

way you don't want to miss the walk-in

and you don't want to miss the fight

when did you know that's when you have

that level of a star when did you know

that Conor McGregor was the guy when I

had dinner with him in Las Vegas after

we signed him we went to what made you

sign Conor McGregor because at this time

UFC is already hot as Fish Grease

there's a lot of Fighters that want to

be there what made you pick this guy

named Conor McGregor I went on a I was

in Ireland IED this award in Ireland and

uh I I I went to the the bars down there

in Dublin and uh everybody was talking

to me about Conor McGregor Conor

McGregor Conor McGregor had you seen him

before I hadn't seen him for some reason

whatever reason I thought he was a

heavyweight for whatever reason that

that I had heard about him out in

Ireland I got back and started talking

to the matchmakers and Shan Shelby one

of our matchmakers had already had his

finger on the pulse of Conor McGregor

and knew what was going on so they

signed him Conor came out here he and I

went to dinner when I left the dinner I

called Lorenzo I said dude I don't know

if this kid can fight or not but if he

can even throw a punch he's going to be

a huge Superstar man you just you know

you see Connor when he interacts with

people and everything the energy the

excitement the you know you knew Conor

was speci again Dana that sounds like

the no-brainer when we see what is and

the the what we've seen from Connor but

just sitting down with a guy that didn't

have the beard probably didn't have all

the tattoos didn't have the WIS didn't

have the accolades yeah no it's it's

it's it's amazing I mean was it him

talking about himself like just his

personality his Persona when when you

know nobody knows him or whatever but

you just know when some people have this

this energy or whatever you want to call

it did that it factor that thing that

that makes them a star did you see that

in other fight

and then if Rousey Rous Chuck Liddell

really oh yeah many many some did and

some didn't right right so with with

Ronda Rousey and Chuck lale those were

the greats but did you see something

where he like man this is the person

this is the guy this the girl and then

it just went from like ah I'm going to

get into this weird [ __ ] here but but

you

know after like the last year and a half

you know with this whole hell thing that

happen I come off like a hippie

sometimes which I used to hate this [ __ ]

but there's this thing about people and

they talk about manifesting MH it's

[ __ ] real man manifesting is real

when you figure out who you are and what

you want to do and you devote your life

to it like like like a maniac like

you're all in on this thing and you

manifest most of these people end up you

know doing what they say they're going

to do and being who they say they're

going to become it's real it's and

there's no excuses there's no [ __ ]

days off there's no uh you know not

willing to grind and you know

everybody's against me and this didn't

happen for me because of this and that

and all this whining and and and you

know [ __ ] ass [ __ ] that a lot of

people do these days it's these people

who dive in and they're hardcore and

they're focused and they know what they

want they know who they are and they lay

out these short-term goals and this road

map on how to get there most of those

people make it how big is UFC now

and is it getting bigger you know uh one

of the majors now we're one of the major

sports um and when you say one of the

majors you yeah you say sports yeah in

all sports right you know the there's

two sports that are

Global two that is

soccer we're Global I mean we're we're

in every country all over the world we

can get an athlete from anywhere in the

world we're now just really starting to

Kickstart Mexico we're opening to

performance Institute down in uh in uh

Mexico City here in

October and uh I'm going to open a

performance Institute in Africa um I got

one in China right now oh my God going

to open one in the Middle East so and

even with the Middle East bro when we

were sitting down and the world was on

lockdown for the pandemic with Corona

virus with

covid you still gave us UFC that was the

only kind of normal thing that we still

had when you went and said all right you

know what we can't get it out here let's

go to fight Island and you built a brand

that kept us with something that felt

normal y were you missing the contact

and the sports and you also did it for

you like I I I did it for a lot of

reasons there was more than just one

reason first of all and none of it was

political everybody wants to turn

everything into politics none of what I

did was political um

I I didn't get it MH I couldn't wrap my

head around the whole Co thing yeah I

was like wait a minute if this thing

this thing is this bad as they're saying

it is we're all dead anyway are you we

going to hide from a [ __ ] virus come

on man how's that even you could go in a

restaurant with a mask on sit down take

your [ __ ] mask off eat and then put

it about just a lot of little [ __ ]

details like that my thing was and and

I'm tell you I stood in line with it too

Dana almost hypocritical I stood in line

with it but I would tell people I'm like

okay so 6 feet we're good then if I step

closer to you I'm in the danger zone

right seven feet I'm I'm fine and that's

the same thing we would say it all the

time like man and now as I look back at

it I look at like ah damn there was a

lot of [ __ ] there but you saw that early

it's [ __ ] silly when we look back at

it now people are spraying their [ __ ]

[ __ ] that came in spraying their

groceries I was literally taking LIC all

and wiping my my groceries down and

everything we can't go to work right but

we can protest right we can all get

together in a [ __ ] protest but we

can't go to work we can't do I could

poke [ __ ] swiss cheese holes in the

whole [ __ ] thing right then every

time you try to let me tell you this

first what I'm looking down the barrel

of

okay I'm on ESPN right all sports are

[ __ ] stopped MH

right how's this ESPN is a [ __ ]

Sports Network H H how is this going to

affect ESPN financially right so at some

point no matter how long this thing

lasts because they kept pushing it

back looked like this was going to last

a minute right is this virus just going

to [ __ ] disappear in three months no

that that's just not it's it's literally

common sense it doesn't it doesn't make

sense right and

somebody at ESPN at some point is going

to say we need to start making some hard

decisions here okay so let's sit down

and let's take a checklist of what we

have we have the NFL that's not

happening we have major league baseball

that's not happening we have the NBA

that's not happening we have the NHL

that's not right we have UFC not and we

have where they throw the [ __ ] bean

bags right right right [ __ ] bean bag

game whatever that is right uh who's

going first

and the beag me and the bean bag [ __ ]

guys are going first okay let's just

[ __ ] set

that so I'm like yeah I have 450

employees that I have to take care of

who have families that they have to take

care of and I've been building this

sport for 23

years and I'm not afraid of this thing

you know what I mean if if if and I'm

not laying off one employee I heard that

right so most a lot of these people in

this building have been with me for for

15 years or more right and the the UFC

we've sat here and talked about this for

an hour has been a rocket ship of

success since 2005 right and I'm always

telling them I love you guys this and

that we're a team this that the first

time the [ __ ] hits the fan I'm going to

start laying you people off in the

scariest time in the history of the

world

uh-uh this whole ship goes down and we

all go down together or not at all

so I start looking why can't I get an

island why can't I take this thing

somewhere in the [ __ ] desert

somewhere and we build a true bubble uh

in the middle of a [ __ ] Forest this

is the way I'm thinking the other thing

that I'm thinking is I'm very close to

the royal family in Abu Dhabi right

they're testing in Abu Dhabi why can't

we test how come there's no tests here

in America but they're testing in Abu

Dhabi well it's a money issue it's not a

it's not a we can't issue so this is how

Looney I am I I'm literally I could show

you when I walk you around after this I

got a huge space over here that still

isn't built out yet I'm going to build a

lab and I'm going to hire scientists I'm

going to get scientists in here and

we're going to figure out how to test

that's where I'm at I'm not thinking oh

my God this is let's hide I got a really

nice [ __ ] house brother and I'm good

right I can go hide right right right I

can hide for a very long time and be

good my employees can't they right my

employees are [ __ ] scared you know am

I going to not get paid some of them

have kids real some of them are getting

covid you know this type of shit's

happening m not on my watch brother

we're we're we're in this together so we

were only off for a few weeks every week

I would send out a video to my

employees I don't know what's going on I

know this is scary if anybody if you or

anybody you love get sick make me the

first [ __ ] phone call we'll get you

taken care of we'll get you into a

doctor we'll get you taken care of if

you need groceries this sounds

ridiculous now but if you need toilet

paper toilet paper is big deal back then

um we'll get you whatever you need this

is what I was telling my employees right

we're we're together we're going to get

through this together so meanwhile all

these other companies are looking at

their bottom line and [ __ ] whacking

everybody laying all their people off

see you later

whatever so when I figured this thing

out finally not me me and my team

figured this thing

out so we're going back to work

everybody and guess what my team did

they [ __ ] jumped up and they went

back to

work there's people today that still

aren't [ __ ] at

work there's people today that still

aren't at work say less I

know yeah so through this experience and

through this

time me and my team have become closer

than we ever were you know it's easy to

sit around and talk about you know you

love your employees and you care about

your employees right show it and then

there's a time it's just no different

than friends hey you're a good friend

and then sh a fan and you need you need

something and you're going through some

hard times who's really there for you

that's when you find out who's who and

what's what you know what I mean and

that's what happened here at the UFC

Dana we starting to see a lot of MMA

fighters or a lot of yeah a lot of MMA

boxing matches now you know you see the

Jake Paul's of the world Silva uh mcre

Mayweather how do you feel about that

that blend well I hate it right the

McGregor Mayweather thing happened

because it got so big it it had to

happen it had to happen but even though

it had to happen everybody knew what the

result was going to be why because one

is a mixed martial artist and the other

is a professional boxer let me ask you

this if the MMA fighters didn't go into

to the ring and the boxers went into the

Octagon what do you think would happen

that's why I'm at where I'm at now we

did this we already saw this movie I

mean even a guy like Jake Paul is

beating MMA guys he's fighting old guys

old you know Jake Paul fought a guy who

was his age and was actually a boxer

right Fury what happened yeah what

happened he lost he lost so what does he

do he goes after another 40-year-old

[ __ ] MMA guy whose two weight classes

below him you know back into the same

[ __ ] [ __ ] we've seen this movie we

know how this movie ends um so that's

why I was telling Tyson Fury you want to

fight you want to see who the baddest

man when you talk about a fight and

let's talk about who the baddest man in

the planet is it's if you lock two guys

in a [ __ ] room who comes out right

right so we get it you boxers can outbox

the MMA guys if you really want to fight

for the baddest man on the planet then

you come take on Jon Jones in the UFC

you could catch him you're in a fight

you you got small gloves on you're a big

[ __ ] dude you can punch you can

move come take Jon Jones on in the UFC

and let's see who the badest man in the

planet is that's the real baddest man in

the planet fight how do you feel about

boxing today I I love boxing I'll Always

Love boxing we wouldn't be sitting here

having this interview right now if it

wasn't for boxing the UFC wouldn't be

what it is the live event the the the uh

you the television production wouldn't

be what it is today without boxing you

know I I I have a lot of negative things

from boxing but boxing has obviously

done many positive things to my life in

many other people's lives and you know

the show wouldn't exist without boxing

man at one point I know Oscar De La Hoya

tried he tried uh MMA correct as far as

a promoter promoter right right did you

feel like it take a certain kind of

individual to get all these Fighters and

to do this kind of thing that you're

doing did you feel like Oscar was out of

place you know I have have a lot of

feelings about Oscar de la HOA um you

know uh you know what's [ __ ] crazy

about Oscar De La Hoya is

two-faced he's a

liar total [ __ ] phony right in many

many ways wallberg just did this

documentary about him I just saw it

being advertised I'm going to watch it

right um I think De La

Hoya obviously had a lot of demons you

know and De La Hoya coming up whatever

my personal things are with De La Hoya

De La Hoya was a [ __ ] bad boyh coming

up you know and and and and and with his

career and everything else um you know I

respect that I respect what Oscar De La

Hoya did in the ring as a fighter you

know what I mean as a fighter 100% and I

will watch that documentary um but

personally I mean it just you

know yeah personally how did that

hopefully he gets better and whatever is

there a how it started moment with with

Oscar De La Hoya so Oscar and I you know

like I told you I respected Oscar as a

fighter whatever we met we were cool he

came to some UFC's I'd be at home he'd

have a fight on I'd promote his fight on

my social media whatever we do

Mayweather

McGregor and he starts [ __ ] say

telling people do not buy this fight

um you know this is this fight is a

disgrace to boxing blah BL but I'll

fight Conor

McGregor right you [ __ ] lunatic what

are you talking about you're telling PE

this is a personal thing between him and

Floyd obviously so he's telling people

not not not to buy the fight all the

fights that I've promoted for you I'm

involved in this fight and you're going

to tell people not to watch this fight

what kind of a of a [ __ ] douchebag

are you right so we had it out then he

goes out and starts to I'm going to

promote F I'm going to pay Chuck Liddell

and Tito Ortiz more money than they've

ever been paid in their life [ __ ]

wrong he goes out lies about the numbers

I call him out on all the numbers it's

plain and clear that he's lying and the

list goes on and on and then he comes

back and says a I want to patch things

up with Dana you know that's not how

this works you know what I mean that

definitely it's not how it works with me

maybe other phony [ __ ] you

could do that [ __ ] with you you ain't

doing it with me you know we're never

going to be [ __ ] cool we're never

going to be cool you're just you're not

my kind of guy mhm you're not my kind of

guy people can say whatever the [ __ ]

they want about Donald Trump Donald

Trump is [ __ ] solid Square straight

up [ __ ] guy de la Hoy is the exact

opposite you know we will never be

friends I respect him as a fighter I'm

going to watch his documentary and uh

but yeah personally do you have a

mountain Rushmore of UFC fighters or

that hard for it's so hard there's been

so many great Fighters and so many great

fights and I'm pretty sure you've been

asked that many of times cuz I get asked

who's your favorite guest that you ever

interviewed I'm like I can't do that

when you look on the women's side you

have to Ronda Rousey is is the Mountain

Rush more men but when when you look at

Amanda nunz Yes Man and what she just

accomplished she's the greatest female

fighter of all time so how's she not is

it hard when you see someone there is no

Amanda Nunes without a Ronda Rousey so

to to make a Mount Rushmore you could

say a lot of the same things about a lot

of the guys is it hard when you see

someone retire no no people always think

that that's oh my God you're going to

lose them and it's the game right it's

every game you know what I mean Michael

Jordan left basketball right right I

forgot how much I love Michael Jordan

till I saw the Last Dance right I like

Killers man Michael Jordan was a killer

a killer have you seen a knockout that

hurt you I've seen a few Knockouts that

hurt you yeah the Ronda Rousey knockout

hurt oh yeah you know what I mean and

Holly Holm is one of the sweetest human

beings on planet Earth yeah I love Holly

home how do you separate that it's hard

sometimes you know still oh yeah yeah

yeah and and the other thing is you know

one of one of the

biggest focuses that we have here at

this company is health and safety we

spend tens of millions of dollars to

make sure that these these kids are safe

as safe as it could possibly be and uh

you know there's still fights that I'll

watch and when it's over I go what the

[ __ ] do I do for a living

this is crazy this is madness you know

Brandon Moreno the other night with Pand

yeah man that was a hell of a fight we

sent them both immediately to the

hospital you don't do interviews you

don't stop you don't do this you you go

straight to the hospital we sent them

both immediately to the hospital and

make sure that they were okay and safe

um you know but yeah I I see some of

these fights and it's crazy we've talked

about UFC man and I asked I said what's

what's the future and power slap and you

said you've seen this you've seen this

movie you've had a chance to rewind it

fast forward like you yeah you've seen

this with UFC right negativity on power

slap and anytime something new comes

along and something's different you know

you have a segment of the population

that hates it wants to kill it

especially the media the media they're

the worst yet they're the best at the

same time um and one of the things when

you have

negativity about an idea or product or

whatever the one thing that you always

have to remember are there's 8 and2

billion people in this

world you you you and you might like it

but you you you and you love it I don't

need everybody to love it I only need

some people to love it everybody doesn't

have to love it and when you have people

who hate it and people who love it you

couldn't have a better scenario than

that and then we can't take our eyes

even if you hate it you can't take your

eye off of it this thing thing I have

this whole new philosophy social media

and this this this thing right here is

the future this is where everything's

going the media you see it right now the

two different things there's two two of

the most hated people on planet Earth

right now are politicians and the media

right right right right yes because

they're looked at they're trying to

divide us they're lying to us they're

everybody's catching on and everybody's

starting to get it now right we didn't

get Get It 2 and a half 3 years

ago everybody's starting to get it now

so I am only focused on social media I

don't I don't give a [ __ ] what the media

does I don't care what they do what they

say they don't matter to me they're not

as powerful and they're not as

influential as they think they are if

they were the UFC would not exist today

and power slap would definitely not

exist today and it's the exact opposite

this thing is 6 months old right let me

throw some of these social media numbers

at you so with power SLAP 2 the second

one that we did um it was slap two power

SL our second event right first event

killed it off the charge you know we did

3.2 million viewers on Rumble right okay

for power slap one when you think to to

put that into perspective it's hard to

even put into perspective how big that

is right so we did it once can you do it

again right so we go into the second one

during the same time period that the NH

was in the middle of their Conference

Finals right Total video views over a

million the NHL did six power slap did

31 okay Total video views over 2 million

the NHL did one power slap did

20 total video views we beat them 25

million to 90 million the NHL in the

middle of their conference vs here's the

real one right here's here's the one

that's impressive Celtics Heat Games 4

through seven okay historic game for the

Eastern Conference okay all right so

Total video views for the Miami Heat

over a million was 20 Celtics 29 power

slap

31 right we outdid them 90 million to 65

million in Total video

views so how excited are you for this

bro if we did 50% of that it would be a

[ __ ] story

if we did half of that that would be a

story we beat right now let's go into

this one we just did power slap 3 right

so on

Instagram we got more views than

Wimbledon um the

PGA every baseball team combined

everything that we go up against we

Crush now how do you find someone that

can get slapped in the face like that

yeah how do you train well first of all

this was going people are all thinking

that I invented this this was coming out

of Russia right and Poland back in 1718

I started to see this on Instagram and

and social media I was like what the

[ __ ] is this so I took a deeper dive

into it this was it looked like it was

filmed on a flip phone it would looked

like it was in a barn somewhere and they

were doing 350 million views on YouTube

I'm like that's a Justin Bieber video

off air thank you brother you invited us

in you answered everything and then some

you know what I'm saying but I just

can't wait for for one I got to say just

selfishly thank you for UFC that has

been like I tell you man like that is my

family get together that's something I

enjoy I hit you sometimes I even hit you

during the fights and you hit me you

know from the from the table but just

the Empire that you've built I

appreciate you for doing that and for us

just to have that and be Spectators I

appreciate your time I appreciate you

for bringing us down here man and

showing us this beautiful facility but

also man I appreciate your friendship

and your partnership for the decades

that we've been together and thank you

likewise I feel the same way about you

it's good to see you I'm happy for you

and your success you're in shape you

look [ __ ] great and uh good do me a

favor man a pleasure I'm gonna put my

hands back here I want you I'm going to

stand up I want you to slap the [ __ ] out

of you know what I'm saying oh we'll do

that later we'll do that later let's not

Dan white man off air big boy I

appreciate you bro likewise sir love you

brother thank you

[Music]