Dana White had strict rule forcing him to reject simple request from UFC fighters 'no matter who they are'

Dana White once had a strict policy that prevented him from accepting a seemingly normal request from any UFC fighter no matter how big they were in MMA at the time.

UFC president and CEO White acquired the company in 2001 along with the Fertitta brothers and transformed it from a struggling promotion, banned in several US states, to one of the biggest sports organisations in the world.

Last year, sports and entertainment group Endeavor closed a $21bn (£16.6bn) merger between the UFC and the WWE, forming a new combined company called TKO Group Holdings.

Following that deal, White's net worth is now estimated to be more than $500m (£396m).

White has opened up on his early years in charge of the company, revealing he had a strict rule he stuck to with all fighters.

Speaking on the Pound4Pound podcast with with former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, White said: "When I was building this business I had a blanket policy.

"I did not go to anybody's f***ing wedding, didn't matter who you were or how close you were to me."

White also went on to admit he even moved the birth of his son so he could attend a UFC event.

"My son Aiden, his due date was Chuck Liddell versus somebody. I moved the date of his birth for the Chuck Liddell fight," added White.

"Yeah, I said 'that ain't going to work, we got a big fight coming up. So my wife had a C-section… we're going to have to we're going to have to get him out of there early 'cos that works for me."

Dana White is CEO and president of the UFC (Image: Getty)

While White was reluctant to attend weddings of any of his UFC fighters, it was in fact at one such event he got his big break in the fight game.

During an interview with Big Boy, White revealed he met Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta at the wedding of a childhood friend before they collectively acquired the UFC.

"I go to this wedding. Who do I run into? Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. I haven't seen them since high school," said White.

"They approached me and said, 'We heard you're doing this boxing thing.' Lorenzo says to me, 'I've just got on the Nevada State Athletic Commission, I'd love to come to train with you.'

"So, Lorenzo comes Monday to train with me, we've been together ever since. The only wedding I would go to. Where the f*** would I have run into Lorenzo Fertitta if I didn't go to that wedding?"

Topics: Dana White, UFC, MMA

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan