When Dana White talked the Fertitta Brothers into buying the UFC, he essentially saved the sport in America.
Say what you will about Dana White, but what he has done for mixed martial arts cannot be appreciated enough.
He has all the detractors that come with a man of his position and bearing, and he takes it all in stride, never seeming to forget about the “little guy” who comes up to him, sometimes shyly, heaping praise. In return, he gives his time with an easy smile, and usually some free tickets.
He does this because he loves the sport as much as any one, and he loves the fans, because he is a passionate man. He had to be to contend with all the obstacles put in his way while building the company into the unheralded powerhouse it is today.
But passion has a flip side.
What Dana White loves, he loves, and what he hates, he hates.
In this case, what he hates is a man named Frank Shamrock.
For Shamrock, the feeling is mutual. It is relatively unclear as to why Dana White and Frank Shamrock dislike each other so harshly, but they do, as both have made plainly clear in the media.
Be that as it may, Dana White and the UFC Hall of Fame cannot be taken seriously until fighters like Frank Shamrock receive their induction.
The UFC Hall of Fame would seem to stand for the recognition of those fighters who represent hallmark achievement in the sport and with the company. They are men that espoused all the chief virtues Dana White prizes in fighters.
And Frank Shamrock fulfills all of those prerequisites, with a vengeance.
Here is a breakdown of Frank Shamrock’s time in the UFC, and a clear-cut argument as to why he belongs in the UFC Hall of Fame, no matter if Dana White likes him or not.