Dana White: The UFC 'will be very different when I'm gone'

UFC president Dana White has previewed what he believes would happen if he ever decided to leave the company.

The world of being a promoter is often a strange one and it tends to be full of a whole lot of stress. That’s true in any sport, but in mixed martial arts and boxing, it’s particularly prevalent.

The likes of Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum come to mind when thinking about the squared circle but in the MMA realm, there’s one man who stands head and shoulders above the rest – Dana White.

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Over the course of the last few decades, White has made it his mission to get the Ultimate Fighting Championship onto the world stage. In many ways, he’s dedicated most of his adult life to doing so, and we’d say he’s pulled it off pretty impressively.

There have certainly been a few obstacles along the way but in the present day, the UFC is thriving more so than it ever has with a stacked roster of talent to go alongside a crucial partnership with ESPN.

White has served as president for so long now that it seems impossible to imagine a scenario in which he isn’t in charge, but during a recent media scrum, he decided to lift the lid on what he expects to happen when he’s no longer around.

“If and when I ever leave, we’ve got a great team in place. Hopefully we’ve built a business that will last many, many years after I’m dead. The UFC will be very different when I’m gone, it’ll be different. It won’t go away.”

White was then asked directly about his immediate future with the company and if there are any plans for him to walk away.

“No. I’m here, unfortunately for you guys, I’m here to stay.”

The Ultimate Fighter was one of the first big ideas that helped