50 of the best moments of Dana White’s career
By Amy Kaplan
Leaving Boston and coming to Vegas
By Thomas Albano
Dana White has been the president of the UFC since 2001, and since then the promotion has been associated with Las Vegas. But White, who was raised in Massachusets, if one couldn’t tell by his love for Boston’s sports teams, has a deep connection to that city. And those who don’t know the story of how he got from one city to the other may be taken off guard.
White was training boxers at a gym in Boston when members of the Winter Hill Gang — who were portrayed in the 2015 Johnny Depp film Black Mass — came in and demanded White pay them $2,500 for doing business in their territory. After a threatening phone call from the mob sometime later, White immediately got on a flight to Vegas.
White once told a Boston radio station, “The worst thing that ever happened to me ended up being the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”
Today, Vegas is the UFC’s home base, hosting pay-per-view cards, UFC headquarters, the UFC Performance Institute, the former TUF house and the new UFC Apex.
Dana White has appeared in several shows, but none may be as memorable as his appearance on the History television show, Pawn Stars, which examines several past artifacts and their value.
Dana White on Pawn Stars
By Zain Bando
In a Season 15 episode, White made a surprise visit to the shop with a large request – buy Rick Harrison’s 1600s Samurai sword, along with every other sword in the store, in order to build a room in his house.
Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, has also appeared on the program.
The Samurai sword was estimated at $35,000-$40,000.
“I’ll give you $28,000,” White said.
After some negotiating, White, who enjoys collecting items ranging from guns to murals of music artists, purchased every sword shown, along with Katana (the Japanese sword White originally wanted). White embraces the Samurai tradition, which made the purchase, “an offer I could not refuse.”