sportbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Dana White’s 2009 Prediction For Where UFC Would Be At In 2020 Fell Well Short Of The Mark

Dana White’s 2009 Prediction For Where UFC Would Be At In 2020 Fell Well Short Of The Mark

During a 2009 interview, Dana White insisted that people were "saying I was a lunatic 10 years ago when we first got this [UFC] going."

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

UFC president Dana White made an audacious claim in 2009 that the MMA organisation would become the world's biggest sport by 2020.

The MMA organisation emerged in 1993 and White has been president of the UFC since 2001 as its popularity has continued to surge.

The 50-year-old UFC chief said that people were "saying I was a lunatic 10 years ago when we first got this [UFC] going."

But White insisted that UFC would be the "biggest sport in the world by 2020" and felt 10 years was enough time to make that happen.

The UFC president told The Las Vegas Sun: "UFC will be the biggest sport in the world by 2020.

"People were saying I was a lunatic 10 years ago when we first got this going, but the stuff we're working on right now on so many levels is mind-boggling [...].

"The sport was just sanctioned in Massachusetts and Vancouver. We're going to get it done in Ontario and New York in 2010.

PA
PA

"And we're already working on taking the UFC global. We've already done Germany, England and Ireland, and we just sold 22,000 seats for an event in Australia in 15 minutes [...].

"Right now we are on some form of television in over 175 countries. We're all human beings and we all 'get' fighting [...].

"Me and Lorenzo Fertitta will sit down and figure out a game plan for the next 10 years, and we'll execute it.

"So, is 10 years enough time to make this the biggest sport in the world? Hell yeah."

UFC has continued to rise in popularity and seen the emergence of MMA superstars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey.

PA
PA

But the UFC hasn't managed to hit the high expectations that White set for it in 2009 as the biggest sport in the world.

In January, SportsShow named the 10 most popular sports in the world based on an extensive list of criteria.

And MMA failed to make the top 10 as football topped the list and cricket and basketball finished second and third respectively.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA, Dana White