Dana White Reflects On When He Almost Sold The UFC: ‘I Thought It Was Over’

Like him or not, Dana White helping sell the UFC at over $4 billion and making it a part of TKO Group Holdings alongside WWE is one of the most remarkable business feats ever. He, along with his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001. The early 2000s were […]

Like him or not, Dana White helping sell the UFC at over $4 billion and making it a part of TKO Group Holdings alongside WWE is one of the most remarkable business feats ever. He, along with his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001.

The early 2000s were when when the company’s reputation was at an all-time low, and there were heavy losses due to it being banned from pay-per-view and TV networks.

However, White’s vision regarding this product, which was a far-fetched dream back then, now needs no introduction. UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world by far with a valuation of $11.3 billion in 2025. This has come after it survived several highs and lows for more than three decades.

In an interview with TodayShowAustralia ahead of UFC 312 in Sydney, White looked back at the time when he was close to folding the UFC for good.

“Oh, yeah, in the early days when we were just getting started, there’s no doubt about it, and then when you run a business and stuff happens every day that you don’t see coming and that you got to deal with. Even when we were strong, I mean we were sold in 16 and I want to say that it was probably 14, where like we had a whole year, every main event fell off with an injury and we had to deal with that. But the more bad c**p that gets thrown at you, the better you become.”

In another interview with Forbes, White and Lorenzo Fertitta shared the exact details of the day they nearly sold the UFC. As per Lorenzo, $30 million was sunk into running the business and because there were no returns, they weren’t left with many options.

Talking about it, Lorenzo says:

“Now people look back and they say, Oh! the UFC was overnight success and no, it wasn’t. Like, there were at least five years there, that were very difficult. We got to the point where we were just losing money, year after year, every event we were losing money and at the same time, fighters wanted to make more money, managers wanted more money. Everybody wanted wanted wanted.”

White, who was running the business as the CEO, describes this time similarly:

“So, one day, I was at the office and Lorenzo called me and he’s like, ‘I can’t keep doing this. Me and my brother can’t keep funding this thing. It’s getting bad so I need you to go out and see what you could sell this thing for’. I started making phone calls that day and at the end of the day I called him back and I said, ‘seven or eight million, could probably get seven or eight million for this thing in my opinion’.”

Luckily, for the UFC owners, selling the promotion didn’t feel like the best move at the time and they decided to keep running things for some time. For Lorenzo, it was as simple as this:

“So, literally went home, woke up the next morning, and just felt like it’s not the right thing to do.”

White explained his anxiety at the time as well:

“I thought it was over. And the next day, I’m driving to work and Lorenzo calls me and this is literally quote what he said, ‘f**k it, let’s keep going’.”

The UFC, as we know it, wasn’t sold during its dark ages and thanks to TUF Season 1, the boom finally happened and MMA is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Although the promotion’s monopoly in MMA is often criticized, it’s rise to the top is still inspirational for countless people.

Dana White Reflects On When He Almost Sold The UFC: ‘I Thought It Was Over’

Like him or not, Dana White helping sell the UFC at over $4 billion and making it a part of TKO Group Holdings alongside WWE is one of the most remarkable business feats ever. He, along with his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001. The early 2000s were […]

Like him or not, Dana White helping sell the UFC at over $4 billion and making it a part of TKO Group Holdings alongside WWE is one of the most remarkable business feats ever. He, along with his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001.

The early 2000s were when when the company’s reputation was at an all-time low, and there were heavy losses due to it being banned from pay-per-view and TV networks.

However, White’s vision regarding this product, which was a far-fetched dream back then, now needs no introduction. UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world by far with a valuation of $11.3 billion in 2025. This has come after it survived several highs and lows for more than three decades.

In an interview with TodayShowAustralia ahead of UFC 312 in Sydney, White looked back at the time when he was close to folding the UFC for good.

“Oh, yeah, in the early days when we were just getting started, there’s no doubt about it, and then when you run a business and stuff happens every day that you don’t see coming and that you got to deal with. Even when we were strong, I mean we were sold in 16 and I want to say that it was probably 14, where like we had a whole year, every main event fell off with an injury and we had to deal with that. But the more bad c**p that gets thrown at you, the better you become.”

In another interview with Forbes, White and Lorenzo Fertitta shared the exact details of the day they nearly sold the UFC. As per Lorenzo, $30 million was sunk into running the business and because there were no returns, they weren’t left with many options.

Talking about it, Lorenzo says:

“Now people look back and they say, Oh! the UFC was overnight success and no, it wasn’t. Like, there were at least five years there, that were very difficult. We got to the point where we were just losing money, year after year, every event we were losing money and at the same time, fighters wanted to make more money, managers wanted more money. Everybody wanted wanted wanted.”

White, who was running the business as the CEO, describes this time similarly:

“So, one day, I was at the office and Lorenzo called me and he’s like, ‘I can’t keep doing this. Me and my brother can’t keep funding this thing. It’s getting bad so I need you to go out and see what you could sell this thing for’. I started making phone calls that day and at the end of the day I called him back and I said, ‘seven or eight million, could probably get seven or eight million for this thing in my opinion’.”

Luckily, for the UFC owners, selling the promotion didn’t feel like the best move at the time and they decided to keep running things for some time. For Lorenzo, it was as simple as this:

“So, literally went home, woke up the next morning, and just felt like it’s not the right thing to do.”

White explained his anxiety at the time as well:

“I thought it was over. And the next day, I’m driving to work and Lorenzo calls me and this is literally quote what he said, ‘f**k it, let’s keep going’.”

The UFC, as we know it, wasn’t sold during its dark ages and thanks to TUF Season 1, the boom finally happened and MMA is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Although the promotion’s monopoly in MMA is often criticized, it’s rise to the top is still inspirational for countless people.

‘Together, They’re Worth $50 Billion’ – MMA Legend Regrets Not Buying TKO Stocks Following WWE And UFC Merger

Chael Sonnen recently discussed how the UFC and WWE might be valued at $50 billion together at the moment. He came to the conclusion by pointing out that TKO’s stock price has doubled in the last year and also stated that he should’ve invested in the company’s stocks on time. Under the banner of TKO, […]

Chael Sonnen recently discussed how the UFC and WWE might be valued at $50 billion together at the moment. He came to the conclusion by pointing out that TKO’s stock price has doubled in the last year and also stated that he should’ve invested in the company’s stocks on time.

Under the banner of TKO, UFC and WWE went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2023. This was after Endeavor initiated the process of combining the world’s biggest sports entertainment organization, WWE, with the world’s premier MMA promotion to form a sports and entertainment company called TKO Group Holdings.

Valued at $21 billion at the time of merger, TKO marked the beginning of new chapter for both the UFC and the WWE and in no time, it’s stock price has doubled.

Discussing this exponential growth of both companies since they went public, the former UFC title contender regretted not taking his friend’s advice who wanted him to invest in TKO back in 2023.

“TKO is the publicly traded company that owns WWE and UFC. Now, don’t hold me to these numbers and dates perfectly, but a year ago, TKO was valued at $70. I remember getting a call from Jesse on Fire when it hit $70. Jesse on Fire calls me and he’s telling me to load up, and I did not. I did not load up. I bought, but I did not load up.”

While “The American Gangster” was still processing if TKO was really a good investment opportunity as his friend had already made money on it, the stock grew by another 10%.

“And like that, it was at $77. It jumps 10% while I am processing what Jesse told me. So I don’t get in until it hit $90. That’s when I finally go load up. But I want you to think about this, okay, the UFC sold for what was a higher valuation for a franchise than the evaluation at current time of the New York Yankees’. And the New York Yankees were said to be the most valuable franchise in the world, and the UFC sold for more than the Yankees’ valuation.”

TKO also owns the WWE, and here’s how Sonnen came to the conclusion that both the brands, together, might be valued at $50 billion now:

“You then have WWE, which sold—I’m going to round numbers here—but for over twice what the UFC sold for. You had a statement by TKO where they said they valued the entire company, so having both entities, at $22 billion. Now, the UFC had sold for $4.2 billion, WWE had sold for $11 billion, and now, because they are together, just go ahead and add 30% to that number to get us to $22 billion. But the stock is still hovering around $90 at the time of this story.”

He further theorized:

“Now, fast forward one year, and the stock, as we speak, is $153. So let’s just call that double. That’s double what it was when Jesse on Fire calls and tells me. If I look at the stock price—and this isn’t a perfect way to do an evaluation, I’m just sharing for you, loose terms—if I look at the stock price, it’s valued at $22 billion when it’s at $77. Now that it’s worth twice that, are we saying that together, they’re worth $50 billion. Is that what we’re saying?”

Sonnen’s friend, Jesse Merl, undoubtedly gave him solid advice regarding loading up on TKO stocks as he himself is now enjoying a 100% profit on his investment in just a year. The YouTuber posted about the same on X and is pretty confident that this is just the beginning for the UFC, Dana White, and TKO.

Henry Cejudo Backs ‘Greatest’ Dricus Du Plessis To Beat Khamzat Chimaev And Alex Pereira

Former UFC double champ Henry Cejudo has been so impressed with Dricus Du Plessis’s performance against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 that he went on to pick him against potential future opponents Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira. The UFC middleweight kingpin was as dominant as he could be in his second outing against Strickland, skyrocketing […]

Former UFC double champ Henry Cejudo has been so impressed with Dricus Du Plessis’s performance against Sean Strickland at UFC 312 that he went on to pick him against potential future opponents Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira.

The UFC middleweight kingpin was as dominant as he could be in his second outing against Strickland, skyrocketing his brand even further. The challenger left with a broken nose at UFC 312, and before that, DDP showcased his grappling prowess by becoming the first fighter to submit Israel Adesanya.

Now, fans are excited to see “Stillknocks” get tested against Chimaev and Pereira. While “”Borz” is coming off an impressive first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker, “Poatan” has looked invincible at light heavyweight.

In a recent episode of Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry, Cejudo heavily praised DDP for his cardio and explained why he could hand defeats to both Chimaev and Pereira:

“If you’re asking me now Kumaru, who is it if we do see a match between DDP and Alex Pereira. Even though I do believe that Pereira is going to beat Magomed Ankalaev, I’ll definitely put my money with DDP. I think DDP, stylistically, is a problem dude. And I know DDP is gonna go in there and f****g wrestle. And I think with the grappling, I think that could be very problematic, but there’s one thing that I will say is he will need to be careful because Alex Pereira does a really good job of cornering and there’s a lot of little sloppy things that DDP does but I think I put my strengths and his mixing of the fighting against a guy like Alex Pereira.”

While discussing a potential match-up with Chimaev, “Triple C” again picked the South African despite knowing that the Emirati fighter is on an iconic undefeated run. The latter’s ability to out grapple and finish elite fighters like Whittaker and Usman definitely makes him a threat to anyone at middleweight.

“I personally think he beats up Khamzat Chimaev. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to submit, I think DDP is scrambly and I think his conditioning, bro, I mean I want to put him up there. Even like this particularly, this last fight, you want to kind of, you know, maybe the top three, maybe greatest right now cardio in the UFC. Obviously, Merab is one and then you can go two three but whatever it is, he looked freaking good and he looked so good that fifth round where he was like hey, I was able to go another five more rounds. I mean this guy’s ready and this guy’s gonna be a problem for anybody at 185 lbs and I am excited to see this dude fight Khamzat and if he beats a guy like Khamzat Chimaev, I would love for him to go up and then fight the winner of Alex Pereira and Ankalaev.”

Ankalaev is the no.1 ranked UFC light heavyweight contender set to fight the champion at UFC 313 in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. The outcome of this fight will naturally impact the futures of the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Fans Amused By A ‘Smashed’ Dricus Du Plessis After UFC 312 Victory

UFC star Dricus Du Plessis has gained popularity for not just his unorthodox fighting style in the Octagon, but also for his ability to chug beers at a surprisingly fast rate. Athletes aren’t generally known for their drinking prowess, but the South African frequently beats influencers and his friends in competitions that revolve around gulping […]

UFC star Dricus Du Plessis has gained popularity for not just his unorthodox fighting style in the Octagon, but also for his ability to chug beers at a surprisingly fast rate.

Athletes aren’t generally known for their drinking prowess, but the South African frequently beats influencers and his friends in competitions that revolve around gulping cans or glasses of beers.

At UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia, “Stillknocks” defended his UFC middleweight title for the second time against Sean Strickland. The champion looked way more dominant this time around, even breaking the challenger’s nose in the fourth.

Despite being undefeated in the UFC, Du Plessis suffered a cheeky loss against Jackson O’Doherty when he stepped into a beer chugging competition with the influencer.

O’Doherty announced that he’s already 0-3 against the UFC middleweight kingpin, but the fourth time around, he was clever enough to empty the entire glass under his shirt. Du Plessis, who still very impressively chugged his glass in a couple of seconds, seemed too buzzed to care about the result.

The creator announced ahead of his fourth try at beating the UFC champ:

“Alright, guys, I’m currently 0 and 3 against the champion in the beer race, and today that changes.”

Considering that “Stillknocks” is just coming off another five-round hard-fought battle against Strickland, most fans were amused to see him celebrating his second title defense.

The loss in the chugging contest barely impacted Du Plessis who seemed to be having a time of his life drinking beer and puffing a cigar. He simply said this to acknowledge O’ Doherty’s feat, which, to be fair, would’ve been very rare if genuine:

“He finally got it done.”

Time and again, Du Plessis has highlighted the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between training and having light moments like the one described above. As someone who cuts around 40 lbs. ahead of his fights at middleweight, he undoubtedly deserves to treat himself after a tiring bout.

Fans from around the world could easily make out that Du Plessis was not having his fourth beer with O’ Doherty, and because of his usual comfort with alcohol, he must’ve had quite a few drinks to be evidently drunk.

If you’re unaware of how quickly DDP can empty a glass of beer, this footage of him celebrating his iconic win over Israel Adesanya should definitely give you the idea:

For now, the UFC middleweight champion could make the most of every bit of rest and enjoyment as he’s most likely to return against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev, one of the most hyped and explosive fighters in the UFC. Based on his callout, a superfight against Alex Pereira could be possible too.

UFC 312: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 Results & Highlights (6PM ET) 

UFC 312 takes place tonight from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!  In the main event, Dricus Du Plessis will put his middleweight title on the line in a rematch with former champ Sean Strickland. While in the co-main event, strawweight champ Zhang Weili will face Tatiana […]

UFC 312 takes place tonight from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights! 

In the main event, Dricus Du Plessis will put his middleweight title on the line in a rematch with former champ Sean Strickland. While in the co-main event, strawweight champ Zhang Weili will face Tatiana Suarez. 

Elsewhere on the main card, Justin Tafa will face Tallison Teixeira at heavyweight; Jimmy Crute and Rodolfo Bellato will clash at light heavyweight; and Jake Matthews will face Francisco Prado in a welterweight matchup. 

There was one fight cancelation at the weigh-ins, with the flyweight bout between Nyamjargal Tumendemberel and HyunSung Park scrapped due to weight management issues experienced by the former.  

Make sure to catch all the UFC 312 results and highlights as they happen below! 

Main Card: 10PM ET On PPV 

  • Middleweight Championship: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 
  • Women’s Strawweight Championship: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez 
  • Heavyweight: Justin Tafa vs. Tallison Teixeira 
  • Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato 
  • Welterweight: Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado 

 
Preliminary Card: 8PM ET On (ESPNews/Disney+) 

  • Featherweight: Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos 
  • Lightweight: Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev 
  • Women’s Flyweight: Wang Cong vs. Bruna Brasil 
  • Bantamweight: Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria 

Early Preliminary Card: 6PM ET On ESPN+ 

  • Lightweight: Rongzhu vs. Kody Steele 
  • Welterweight: Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef 
  • Lightweight: Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli