UFC CEO Dana White made another podcast appearance, recently joining The Diary of a CEO to discuss his career, life, becoming an entrepreneur, and everything in between.
In the wide-ranging interview with host Steven Bartlett, White was visibly vulnerable and publicly open in ways that had previously never been seen, regardless of medium.
White, who became UFC president in 2001 after casino owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III purchased the company, nearly gave up on MMA when the UFC neared bankruptcy by 2004, but pushed through to help establish ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and propel the promotion toward mainstream popularity.
Before Zuffa’s eventual 2016 sale to WME-IMG (now publicly traded as TKO), White admitted to a falling-out with his mother, June White, to the point that he and his sister went no-contact until her passing.
“She wasn’t getting responses because I was in London, and then the emails started getting nastier and nastier and nastier by the end, and I f****ing just blew up,” Dana White said on the podcast.
Dana White Addresses Distance From Late Mother
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC president Dana White during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Dana White claimed that his mom wanted to open a bar, but there was another element that left him with nothing to his mom: a tell-all book called Dana White: The King of MMA.
“The thing that’s bad about that and what she did is [hurt] a lot of other people, I think she hurt in that book,” Dana White said. “She didn’t hurt me, but other people. A lot of things that aren’t true and a lot of people that didn’t do anything to her.”
Fast-forwarding to the present, the UFC’s alignment with TKO is a well-oiled machine. Dana White admitted that, despite working hard, he has a powerful resource to ensure big ideas come to fruition: Ari Emanuel.
Emanuel, the executive chairman of TKO Group Holdings, works in sync with Dana White.
Dana White on Ari Emanuel: “He’s the guy that when I come up with something creative and I call him and I’m like, ‘I need $30M. I wanna do this,’ he’s like, ‘I’ll get you the money.'”pic.twitter.com/yCHoYuA4Uu
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 5, 2026
“He’s the guy that when I come up with something creative and I call him and I’m like, ‘I need $30M. I wanna do this,’ he’s like, ‘I’ll get you the money,'” White said.
Status of UFC Today
A look at the Octagon inside the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. | (via UFC)
For the time being, the UFC continues to churn out weekly events all over the world and nearly every week of a given calendar year.
Dana White said he has an ambition to secure a $10 billion TV rights deal with Paramount or another partner when the current deal expires, among other huge goals on the horizon.
Family aside, the former Bostonian appears content continuing to build his empire every day.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow