Talk about climbing the \u201ccorporate\u201d ladder.<\/p>\n
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) employee, Salhahuddin \u201cSal\u201d Everett, will attempt to trade his company badge for a UFC contract tonight (Tues., Oct. 6, 2026) when he battles fellow undefeated Welterweight prospect, Ozzy Martin, on Week 9 of Contender Series<\/a> inside Meta APEX<\/a> in Las Vegas, Nevada (full results here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Everett\u2019s road to the Octagon is unlike any other fighter competing this season.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old started at the bottom of UFC\u2019s corporate operation, working in the mailroom and as a graveyard security guard before eventually becoming UFC CEO Dana White\u2019s personal runner. In other words, Everett went from stocking White\u2019s refrigerator and handling errands behind the scenes to fighting directly in front of his former boss with a UFC contract on the line.<\/p>\n Ironically, Everett\u2019s fighting ambitions nearly prevented him from getting inside UFC headquarters in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually applied for the UFC in 2019 and didn\u2019t get the job,\u201d Everett told Spinnin\u2019 Backfist. \u201cI remember telling the director of security \u2014 he asked me where I would see myself in five years \u2014 and I told him, \u2018Fighting for the UFC.\u2019 And he actually didn\u2019t give me the job for whatever reason. A year and a half later, or two years later, I wound up working for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Mission accomplished \u2026 at least partially.<\/p>\n Everett eventually landed a UFC security position through a third-party agency before working his way into White\u2019s inner circle. According to Everett, he was stocking the company refrigerator when the matchmakers casually informed him that he would be getting an opportunity on Contender Series.<\/p>\n Of course, Everett did not receive the shot solely because of his UFC connections.<\/p>\n