When MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) was introduced as a sport to the general public, it faced widespread reluctance and criticism. The sport seemed too violent and brutal for the general public to see. Lack of a proper sanctioning body and rules and regulations was also a factor that contributed to negative publicity of the sport. Many people believed MMA will eventually fade away and is not destined to be a mainstream sport of the country.
The UFC also faced competition from other MMA organizations, such as Pride FC. Additionally, the UFC struggled to get mainstream media coverage, which made it difficult to reach a wider audience. Finally, the UFC was not regulated by any governing body, which led to concerns about fighter safety.
Then came Fertitta brothers and Dana White into the picture which revolutionized the sport forever.
Events that led to his becoming a leader
Dana White played a very significant and pivotal role during the initial days of UFC, whether it was transforming public’s perception towards the sports, building relationship with media outlets, or getting sponsors and TV deals, White did everything possible to make MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) a mainstream sport.
For any sports to grow popular, people should be willing to take that up as a career option, White knew this and hence decide to market athleticism and dedication as the USP of the product. Fighter’s entrance cards mentioned their physical attributes like height, weight, and their primary MMA skill like Judo, Jiu Jitsu, etc. This helped in marketing as well as making people aware of the skill they were about to see on their televisions.
Within a couple of months, people started seeing MMA as a sport of skill. Many martial arts academies like American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Chute Boxing, Team Alpha Male, and American Top Team (ATT) emerged in USA, which helped young athletes in getting the required guidance and training to excel in the sport. Eventually, these academies produced several World Champions across several weight classes like Daniel Cormier, Uriah Faber, Dominick Cruz, Cain Velasquez, etc. They went on to become a sporting legend and inspire the next generation of fighters across the world.
How he led and managed change in his organization
UFC became mainstream during the early 2000s. With signing of popular and fan-favorite fighters like Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Gracie Family, and Randy Couture, and getting coverage from media outlets like Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. This helped the UFC expand into new markets like Brazil, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The company saw hundreds of fighters come from these countries, and many of them went on to become UFC champions, such as Anderson Silva, Michael Bisping, and Jose Aldo.
However the success was cemented in 2005, when Spike TV broadcasted the first season of TUF, a reality show that followed a group of aspiring mixed martial artists as they competed for a contract with the UFC. Dana White himself has admitted that the fight between Stephen Bonnar and Forest Griffin was the turning point of the not only the company, but for the sport of MMA as well, as it helped to legitimize the sport of mixed martial arts in the eyes of the public.
How he led and managed change in his organization
However, as it is said, ‘With great power, comes great responsibility’, with UFC getting international attention, Dana White and UFC management faced multiple challenges.
Cultural differences: Every country has their own custom, tradition and culture, and with White being the face of the UFC, it was very important and necessary for him to know all of the above in detail, not only to connect with the local media and fighters of those countries, but also to provide a product than can be comfortably consumed by every race and culture involved.
For example, in some countries, women are not allowed to fight, and in others, blood cannot be shown on live television. To comply with these regulations, the UFC had to edit or remove footage that showed women fighting or blood. In some cases, they even turned the screen to black and white when blood was shown. Dana had to meet several politicians and legislatives and convince them to allow UFC to hold an event in their city, which as per Dana himself is a great challenge to deal with.
Language barriers: The UFC has fighters signed from different countries across the world. Dana being the matchmaker, has to deal with fighters having different thought-process, and their management teams as well. The challenge increases when both the fighter are from different countries, and have different expectations, whether it’s related to compensation, the venue of the fight, or any other aspect of the event. With UFC holding more than 50 events an year, negotiation is an ongoing activity and with fights getting cancelled or rescheduled unexpectedly, having backup fighters convinces and ready to fight is an additional challenge for White.
One of the other main challenge was finding the translators who were fluent in both languages, the one which the fighter understands, and the other which the spectators sitting in the arena, and those watching on their television understand, while making sure that the translated content is accurate and that it did not lose any of its meaning in the process.
Regulations: In USA, each state has their commission bodies that has different rules and regulations whose main task is to ensure safety of the athletes, spectators, and every other person involved in the event. The athletic commissions also acts as the licensing body of the event, and they have additional responsibility of licensing the athletes, promoters and their sanctioning bodies. They also have their own set of rules and regulations related to drug testing, weight classes, and safety equipment. If the organization fails to comply to their set of rules, the athletic commission holds the power to cancel the fights, and if required, the event altogether.
With such a strong body overseeing everything, it becomes White’s responsibility to ensure everything goes well, and every party involved is satisfied with everything.
Although Dana respects athletic commissions, knowing that they play an important role in protecting athletes and fans. But he doesn’t always agree with their decisions. He has publicly clashed with them over issues like drug testing, weight cutting, and fighter pay, and has even threatened to move UFC events to other states or countries. However, being the UFC’s president, he knows he can’t let the commissions dictate everything that happens in his company, hence he has been seen taking stand for his company and fighters whenever required. Dana is willing to work with them, but he is also willing to challenge and disagree with them when he believes they are wrong.
How he managed work pressure
As UFC became mainstream and expanded internationally, it faced competition from rival organizations like Bellator, ONE, Price FC, and even from Boxing and WWF/ WWE. Retaining top talent has been a challenge for every industry across the world, and the UFC is no unknown to this. The rival organizations often try to lure fighters from the UFC to sign with them by offering better deals and allowing sponsorships. Apart from this, getting TV deals and selling PPVs during event clash is also a problem faced by the UFC.
Despite all the challenges, The UFC has been marketing and promoting its events better in recent years. This has helped them reach a wider audience and become the first choice to join for any professional fighter.
White has been able to overcome the competition from rival organizations by being a strong leader. He has a clear vision for the UFC and he’s not afraid to make tough decisions. He’s also been able to build a strong team around him, which has helped him achieve success.
His leadership style
White has a dynamic personality and that has eventually contributed in this exponential growth and success over the years. Being the UFC’s President and the Face, White has to face media on a regular basis, and has to be on his toes to answer the questions asked to him, whether it’s related to any controversy, or upcoming event schedules. With UFC being a mainstream worldwide sport now, it adds an additional responsibility on him to speak calculative, and not to get the company or anyone involved into any unnecessary trouble.
White’s charismatic personality and persuasive communication skills have played an important role in gaining support for the UFC and building strong relationships with fighters, sponsors, and media outlets. Leading a multi-billion organization is a job of high responsibility and requires the person to take complete ownership of everything. His ability to stay calm and making the required decisions efficiently has been instrumental in company’s growth over the last couple of decades.
White’s leadership style can be described as hands-on, bold, and visionary. His direct and decisive approach enables him to make swift decisions, ensuring the organization stays agile in a rapidly evolving industry. White’s relentless pursuit of excellence and his willingness to take calculated risks have transformed the UFC into a global phenomenon.
Summary
Dana White is the president of the UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and is considered as one of the most prominent figures of the combat sports entertainment world.
Under White’s leadership, UFC went from going almost bankrupt in 2001 to getting valued at $12 Billion after getting merged with WWE under Endeavor. The company also produced some of the biggest names in MMA and Boxing history, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey to name a few. The UFC also expanded to Asian markets like Japan, and China and is also founding UFC Performance Institute (PI) across the world.
Despite everything, there is no doubt that White has played a major role in the success of the UFC. The organization is now one of the most popular sports in the world, and White is one of the most powerful figures in the industry of sports and combat entertainment
