Dana White Named to TIME's 100 Most Influential in Sports
UFC CEO Dana White made TIME magazine's first annual list of the 100 most influential people in sports, as MMA Fighting first reported Monday.
White joins basketball star LeBron James, soccer icon Lionel Messi, baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani, and WNBA standout Caitlin Clark on the roster of athletes and executives. Boxing champions Oleksandr Usyk and Amanda Serrano were the only other combat sports figures included.
White's Role in UFC's Growth and White House Event
TIME credited White with turning a fringe spectacle once labeled human cockfighting into a global operation. The 56-year-old has led the UFC since 2001, when Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased the promotion and installed him as president. He oversaw the company's $4 billion sale to WME-IMG in 2016 and later took the CEO title.
The UFC closed a seven-year, $7.7 billion media deal with Paramount in 2025, per MMA Mania, effectively doubling revenues from the previous ESPN agreement. White will host a fight card on the South Lawn of the White House this Sunday, with featherweight champion Ilia Topuria facing Justin Gaethje in the main event.
"We're putting on the most historic sporting event in history," White told TIME in the magazine's profile.
The UFC White House show is scheduled for June 14, with doors opening at 6 p.m. ET.
Photo: Original: Ilia Topuria Vector: 5truenos / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Original reporting:
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