Dana White Named Businessman of the Year

For Dana White, President of the UFC, Canada is one of those places he just can get enough of. And in turn, we simply can’t get enough of him either. So much that Canadians voted him the 2011 Top Choice Award recipient for Top Businessman of the Year.

While in Toronto for UFC 129 back in April, White was presented with his award following a press conference to media by David Silvestre, CEO of Top Choice Media and Monica Couto, President of Top Choice Awards.

“It’s an incredible honor [to receive this award],” White tells Top Choice Magazine. “I think Canada has the best UFC fans in the world and I love putting on events there. I’d put on events in Canada every weekend if I could.”

Having the unwavering support of fans is crucial, since they are what drive the UFC. Anytime the UFC goes to a new city, White says he’s blown away by the response from fans.

“This thing is growing so fast and I’m always listening to what the fans have to say,” he says. “My job is to give them the fights they want to see and we work hard to create an experience that is unlike any other. I think that’s a big reason they’ve been so supportive. They know we are listening to their feedback.”

Being a successful businessman is easy for White because he’s passionate about it. He eats, sleeps and breathes it every day and has been doing so for 10 years now. To be successful in anything, White says you have to be able to make sacrifices. That’s the hard part.

Being the president of the UFC is a fun job, but it’s also very demanding. White is front and centre and in the public’s eye dealing with fans, fights and media on a daily basis. But it’s what he’s wanted to do his whole life. 

“The fight game isn’t the easiest business in the world, but there’s no feeling in the world like seeing an arena jam-packed with fans,” he says. “It’ll give you the chills and it’ll make you appreciate all of the hard work you’ve put in. There’s no doubt that this job can be stressful, but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

The most challenging aspect of White’s job, is obviously the hectic schedule, which takes him on the road a lot and away from his family. However, the most gratifying is seeing the arena full of UFC fans on fight night. Nothing can describe the energy inside an arena - you have to be there to really feel the UFC experience. 

UFC 129 left an impressive economical impact on Toronto and Canada as a whole, with an attendance of 55,000 resulting in a sold-out stadium the night of the big fight. It also produced an accomplishment of $1.5 million in taxes. 

“I wasn’t completely convinced we could sell 55,000 tickets, but UFC fans in Toronto proved me wrong, I was blown away,” says White. “The whole city was buzzing that week – with the Fan Expo and UFC 129, UFC took over Toronto. The fans, the media, everyone came together to make UFC 129 our biggest event yet. I can’t wait to get back to Toronto.”

After setting North American MMA attendance and gate revenue records in April, it’s been announced that the UFC is returning to Toronto on December 10th for UFC 140. The event will be held at the Air Canada Centre.

So where is the future of the UFC headed? 

“We’re going to make this the biggest sport in the world. Right now, UFC is broadcast in over half a billion homes,” continues White. “With a few deals we’re working on, we’ll be in over a billion homes soon. We are going to take the UFC all over the world.”