One of life’s most inevitable truths is that all things must come to an end. At some point, no matter the person or their passion, we all must step aside and call it a career. In sports, we see it all the time.
Before it happens, we wonder how the sport, league or brand will continue. Could Steelers fans even fathom life without Chuck Noll? Did Cowboys fans imagine life without Tom Landry?
Here’s a thought: what would the Ultimate Fighting Championships be like without Dana White?
In his role as company president, White has been the public face of the UFC ever since Zuffa acquired it back in 2001.
Though the Fertitta-led Zuffa has served as the financial muscle, White has pulled the UFC—and MMA as a whole—from the depths of obscurity and ridicule to an international sports and branding powerhouse.
His loud, bombastic, matter-of-fact style has become a favorite of fight fans everywhere. He has constantly preached on giving the fans what they want and is an avid user of social media in an effort to stay in tune with them.
As White approaches his 43rd birthday this year, one has to ask the question, how much longer will the UFC and White be one and the same? If White chose to step down tomorrow, who would fill those shoes? Who would want to?
It’s difficult to say what type of person would be needed to take on this type of job. The four major sports leagues have the benefit of being legalized monopolies.
The UFC is a privately owned company that must fend off competition from across the globe. No matter how many smaller promotions they acquire, everyday there’s a new Strikeforce or Bellator that comes along and attempts to become the new “it” promotion in MMA.
The UFC would need a strong leader devoted to protecting and growing the brand. The hard part for the newbie would be establishing an identity and putting their own mark on the company without destroying the brand.
Since White has been there through all of the growing pains, the UFC has developed with White’s persona; tough, in-your-face, it’s UFC or nothing.
Initially, there would obviously be some sort of “feeling-out” period. The new president would have to communicate and get in touch with the fans.
Given that White made this a staple, it’s important that the UFC continue its open access and allow fight fans to feel like the sport is listening to them. There may even be a lot of criticism in the early phases. People as a whole typically don’t like change.
The new guy would have to be able to withstand being criticized for every little decision and assure fans that what is being done is for the benefit of the sport.
Many sports leagues claim to act in the interest of the fans, however I believe that the UFC actually does this. With some of their biggest revenue coming from pay-per-view, it’s important to keep the television viewers paying.
One man doesn’t stop the show. The UFC can and will continue when Dana calls it a career. Many questioned the abilities of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when he assumed control in 2006.
However, he made his mark by making player conduct and safety his focus as well as turning the NFL almost into a year-round sport. A new UFC president would not and should not be another “Dana White.”
White’s mark on the UFC cannot and will not ever be duplicated. Furthermore, it is unreasonable to think that men such as White and Lorenzo Fertitta, who possessed the intelligence and business acumen to grow this billion-dollar juggernaut, do not have a plan for the future.
Whoever would be chosen to lead the company in the “post-Dana” era, fans can rest assured that they will be the right one.
Follow Walt J. as he gives his no-holds-barred opinions on the NFL, MMA and other sports topics on his blog, Area49sports.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @area49sports.
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