Dana White | Ep. 160

Summary

Full Send Podcast: Dana White | Ep. 160 – Detailed Summary

Hosted by Shots Podcast Network and brought to you by Happy Dad Hard Seltzer, Episode 160 features Dana White, the prominent UFC President. Released on July 10, 2025, this episode delves into significant UFC announcements, fighter insights, Dana's personal ventures, and his perspectives on business and entrepreneurship.

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1. UFC Event at the White House

Key Discussion: Dana White reveals plans for a monumental UFC event at the White House, highlighting its unprecedented nature and the logistical challenges involved.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [02:11]: "He wants the American people to enjoy the White House. This is our place. It's all the history that's there."
• SteveWillDoIt [02:23]: "This is a 100% once in an ever, ever. This is crazy."

Details:

• Initiation: The idea was spontaneously suggested by former President Donald Trump, with Dana coordinating with Ivanka Trump and his team to bring the vision to fruition.
• Logistics: Security measures are stringent, involving background checks and limited access due to Secret Service protocols. Dana emphasizes the exclusivity, noting that tickets will likely be invitation-only.
• Event Setup: The event's backdrop will feature iconic landmarks—the White House and the Washington Monument—creating a unique and historic ambiance.
• Future Implications: Dana anticipates the subsequent evolution of the UFC landscape over the next year, aiming to host "the baddest card of all time."

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2. Fighter Updates and Speculations

Key Discussion: The conversation touches upon potential high-profile fights, including Conor McGregor's return and speculative matchups involving Jon Jones and Ilia Shchegorodko.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [04:19]: "We will absolutely, positively put on the baddest card of all time."
• Dana White [06:26]: "You never know if Ilya has the potential to reach, like, a McGregor level."

Details:

• Conor McGregor: Despite his absence, McGregor has expressed interest in returning, sending voice messages indicating his readiness for a fight.
• Jon Jones: Speculation arises about Jones' potential return from retirement, with Dana stating, "Anything is possible."
• Ilia Shchegorodko (Ilya): Dana praises Ilya's performance, calling it "incredible" and "unbelievable," and discusses his potential to rival top fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
• Dream Matchups: Dana mentions the dream main event of Jones vs. Aspinall and contemplates the possibility of McGregor and Jones fighting on the same card, emphasizing the event's high stakes and fan interest.

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3. Team Promotions and Business Ventures

Key Discussion: Dana discusses his involvement in ventures outside the UFC, including promoting boxing matches and launching Form Energy drinks.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [12:11]: "I'm promoting the fight. We're running that fight."
• Dana White [18:02]: "I got to partner up on this and be a partner in it and I love that I got to have a hand in designing the drinks."

Details:

• Boxing Promotion: Dana is actively promoting boxing events, including a notable fight with Canelo vs. Crawford. He distinguishes these events from UFC press conferences by wearing specific attire.
• Form Energy Launch: Dana partnered in creating Form Energy, an energy drink designed to be healthier and great-tasting. He expresses pride in designing the drinks and mentions the grape flavor as the most popular variant.
• Future Projects: Discussions hint at expanding UFC's reach through new rights deals and exploring streaming platforms, potentially partnering with giants like Netflix to further globalize the sport.

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4. Personal Life and Anecdotes

Key Discussion: Dana shares insights into his personal life, including his time in Maine, hosting extravagant events, and his penchant for high-stakes activities.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [19:19]: "We have every gun that you can imagine, we shoot, we have every toy."
• Dana White [21:40]: "We put on like the best fireworks show on the planet."

Details:

• Life in Maine: Dana describes his Maine residence as a hub of activity, complete with firearms, motorbikes, and lavish parties. He often hosts large gatherings featuring spectacular fireworks displays, attracting hundreds of attendees.
• Luxury Lifestyle: He discusses owning a substantial yacht used for summer trips, emphasizing the allure of destinations like the Amalfi Coast. Dana highlights the social aspect, encouraging friends and guests to experience luxury boating.
• High-Stakes Gaming: Dana reveals his participation in extreme gambling, including the potential to play high-stakes poker with million-dollar hands, showcasing his adventurous and risk-taking nature.

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5. UFC's Future and Business Strategy

Key Discussion: Dana elaborates on UFC's strategic direction, including expansion through niche sports, leveraging the Contender Series, and exploring innovative broadcasting deals.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [13:03]: "We put on the best fights in the world with the best fighters in the world."
• Dana White [14:52]: "Cable television is dying quickly, satellites dying quickly. These streaming services... They're killing it."

Details:

• Contender Series: Dana expresses immense appreciation for the Contender Series, highlighting its role in discovering and nurturing new talent that progresses to become world champions.
• Rights Deals and Streaming: He discusses the evolution of UFC's broadcasting, transitioning from traditional cable to streaming platforms. Dana emphasizes the importance of adapting to changing media landscapes to reach a broader, global audience.
• Global Expansion: Plans include making UFC more accessible internationally, anticipating substantial growth through strategic partnerships and media deals.

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6. Gambling and Casino Ventures

Key Discussion: The podcast touches upon Dana's interest in high-stakes gambling and potential collaborations with casino groups to indulge in extreme betting scenarios.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [32:34]: "It's gonna happen. It's gonna be mental."
• Dana White [34:18]: "There's levels to everything, and that's like the only high of all highs."

Details:

• Casino Collaborations: Dana discusses potential partnerships with casino groups to engage in high-limit games, such as playing a million dollars per hand. He envisions a thrilling yet risky gambling experience.
• Personal Stance: While showcasing enthusiasm for gambling, Dana remains aware of its risks, comparing it to various levels of highs and lows inherent in gambling behaviors.

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7. Lessons in Business and Entrepreneurship

Key Discussion: Dana shares valuable insights from his diverse business ventures, emphasizing the importance of knowing one's strengths, cutting losses, and maintaining a passion-driven approach.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [34:52]: "If it's not fun and you're like, yeah, I up and got way out of my lane, here."
• Dana White [32:15]: "Don't listen to anybody. Anybody who tells you you can't do something, it's full of."

Details:

• Handling Failures: Dana recounts experiences like running a car dealership during an economic downturn, highlighting the necessity of recognizing when to exit a failing venture to mitigate losses.
• Ego Management: He discusses the challenge of separating personal ego from business decisions, stressing the importance of staying objective and focused on what’s best for the business.
• Investment Philosophy: Contrasting his ventures, Dana prefers investing in niche sports and emerging talents over traditional sports franchises like the NBA or NFL, citing the excitement and potential he finds in building underappreciated sports into major successes.

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8. Defamation and Public Relations

Key Discussion: The episode briefly touches on defamation issues involving Jake Paul, with Dana addressing unfounded accusations and emphasizing his integrity.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [25:26]: "I never said anything to defame him."
• Dana White [27:00]: "I'll do it."

Details:

• Accusations Addressed: Dana responds to allegations made by Jake Paul regarding substance use, firmly denying such claims and challenging Jake to prove otherwise through random drug testing.
• Public Image: He underscores the importance of maintaining a clean reputation and addressing false statements head-on to preserve his and UFC’s integrity.

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9. Memorable UFC Moments and Milestones

Key Discussion: Dana reflects on his journey with the UFC, acknowledging significant milestones that have shaped the organization.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [28:20]: "Picking one moment is tough... From Forrest Griffin and Stefan Bonnar to our first fight in Vegas."
• Dana White [29:36]: "It's about building a big sports franchise."

Details:

• Foundational Fighters: Dana credits early fighters like Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar for igniting the UFC’s popularity.
• Vegas Milestone: Hosting the first sanctioned fight in Las Vegas marked a pivotal point in legitimizing and expanding the UFC.
• Ongoing Growth: He emphasizes the collective achievements and continuous milestones that contribute to the UFC's status as a leading sports franchise globally.

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10. Future Collaborations and Projects

Key Discussion: The podcast concludes with discussions about future collaborations, including a proposed "Shark Tank" style pitch series and ongoing security concerns related to events.

Notable Quotes:

• Dana White [24:32]: "I'm in."
• Dana White [32:56]: "It's gonna happen."

Details:

• Shark Tank-Inspired Series: SteveWillDoIt and Kyle Forgeard propose a series where entrepreneurs can pitch business ideas to Dana and their co-hosts, with Dana expressing enthusiasm and commitment to participate.
• Security Enhancements: Dana highlights the necessity for improved security measures at events, referencing a specific incident involving Aiden, and stresses the importance of safeguarding participants in high-profile matches.

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Conclusion: Episode 160 of the Full Send Podcast provides a comprehensive look into Dana White's multifaceted role in the UFC, his personal adventures, and his strategic vision for the future of mixed martial arts. From groundbreaking events like the UFC at the White House to exploring new business ventures and maintaining the UFC's global dominance, Dana offers valuable insights into both the sports industry and his entrepreneurial mindset.

Transcript

[Dana White]

Psst.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Your payments are showing, but with Apple.

[Dana White]

Cash, your payments are private by design. There are no public feeds. Send and receive money privately in messages or with tap to Cash. Switch to Apple Cash. Apple Cash services are provided by Green bank member fdic.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Alright, what up, guys? We got an epic pod today with our boy Dana White. Before we get into it, if you guys have not tried out the prize Picks app and you like to fire on sports, you've got to check it out and download it right now. I can't even watch sports anymore without firing on prize Picks. It just makes watching games so much more fun. Instead of just, you know, straight firing on teams, you're choosing individual players. So each player has a set projection and then you either go more or less than that set projection. If you're smart with sports, you know what players are gonna perform on what nights. It's a no brainer. You've got to try out the Prize Picks app also, boys, we're not gonna be those pussies that stop firing now that all the summer sports are off. Alright? We still got baseball, we are hammering MLB all the time. We got wnba. There's still so much sports to fire on. Also guys, Prize Picks has a sweet deal for you guys. If you guys use code nelk and put dollars, so you're gonna get $50 for free. So that's a sweet deal. Plug in code now. 5 bucks, you get $50 free with your first lineup. Best app to fire on sports in the game. Let's get into the podcast. Yeah. So I hit up Dana, guys, obviously there was a huge, huge announcement. We saw the White House thing. So I was like, I gotta come talk to Dana about this. Obviously you can't tell us too much about it.

[Kyle Forgeard]

But wait, I gotta ask this because we, I think we asked yesterday or you. Did Trump tell you he was gonna make that announcement?

[Dana White]

No.

[Kyle Forgeard]

So he just does.

[Dana White]

I was up at my place in Maine and that day, we probably text four or five times that day. Told me that he was going to.

[SteveWillDoIt]

He was just saying happy fourth of July.

[Dana White]

We had already had. My team already went and walked the White House. We did all the logistics and we're putting together sort of the layout for it right now and probably going to pitch it to him in the next week or two. But the day that he said he wanted to do it, he put Ivanka in charge. So I worked with Ivanka and my team and, and got to where we are now and now we got to go pitch the whole thing to him. Me, Craig, Borsari, my head of production and Ivanka blog. I'll pitch it to him.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So Trump just dropped that in the speech. Just says, hey, we're having a ufc. And I saw the way he said it, too. He said, we're going to build the. Actually, no, Dana's going to do it. Dana knows how to do it. So he kind of just put that out there and challenged you.

[Dana White]

He's got this thing, and I think it's awesome, where he wants the American people to enjoy the White House. This is. This is our place. It's. It's all the history that's there. You know, he's bringing back the Easter egg hunts and, you know, things that used to happen there, and, you know, he loves the sport, so he wants to do a UFC event there. And why would we say no to that?

[SteveWillDoIt]

That's crazy. This is not even a once in a lifetime event. This is a 100% once in a ever, ever. This is crazy.

[Dana White]

Ever.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So when something like this happens, I know you. You had the challenge of the spher and stuff like that, and that was kind of a new challenge. What, like, challenges does this bring?

[Dana White]

Tons of challenges. First of all, I don't even know how many people can get in. Not to mention the fact that Secret Service isn't going to let a lot of people come do this. Everybody's going to have to have background check. So, yeah. Yeah. Whoever actually gets to be there live, it will be such a unique, amazing experience in their lifetime to be able to go to this fight. And for us, when you think about when the fight is going on, while the fight's happening and we're filming, one whole side of the backdrop will be the White House, and then the other side will be the Washington Monument. So it's just. It's. It's so unique, so badass. And so once ever, like you said.

[SteveWillDoIt]

That's interesting. Yeah. That's crazy.

[Kyle Forgeard]

What are ticket prices going to be like for that event?

[Dana White]

Well, I don't even think we'll sell tickets to that event. Yeah, I think they'll invite only. Yeah. It'll all be comp tickets.

[Kyle Forgeard]

How many fighters reach out to you that want to fight?

[Dana White]

Everybody wants to.

[SteveWillDoIt]

That's. That's what I was going to ask you.

[Dana White]

Everybody wants everybody. Oh, yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

I know you can't say too much because you guys will announce it when you announce it, but.

[Dana White]

No. Well, here's the thing. We're still a year away.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

So the whole UFC landscape will change over the next year. We'll see where we're at. And we will absolutely, positively put on the baddest card of all time.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So this is not going to be like a normal card. All cards are great. But this is going to be a.

[Dana White]

Super functional pay per view card. Wow.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Because I know, like, obviously there's been some fights, fighters like, you know, McGregor hasn't been in in a while. I saw right when he, when this came out, he was back in the ring. He was actually sending us voice messages saying, guys, I'm, I'm dialed, I'm, I'm ready for this and stuff, so. And I saw Jones. We don't know if he was serious. Is he not retired anymore? Is he.

[Dana White]

Back to you, jump back in the pool.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So really officially.

[Dana White]

Oh, yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Because they're not going to want to miss something like this. So how, how sick is that for you that now you kind of got this White House event for them? And it's like, I feel like this is what brings.

[Dana White]

No matter who popped up or who didn't or whatever, we would have put on an incredible card, but the fact that literally everybody wants to fight on this card, it's makes it a lot more fun.

[Kyle Forgeard]

What would be the dream main event?

[Dana White]

I. I have no idea. No, I mean, the dream main event right now would be Aspinall.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

Versus Jones at the Wild on any main event.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

And how could they turn that down? That's the thing. It's like, you want to fight at the White House.

[Dana White]

I don't know. We'll see.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Is it possible that McGregor and Jones would fight on the same card?

[Dana White]

Could be.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Anything possible.

[Dana White]

I mean, anything is possible.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Well, this is also something. He just signed a deal with Qatar, right?

[Dana White]

Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

That fight's there. So this is something. I mean, the White House is huge, but you got so much other shit you got to deal with between now and then anyway, right?

[Dana White]

100%. And, you know, in the sport, you never know who could be a massive star next July 4th. You know what I mean? Yeah. The landscape will change a lot in a year, so we'll see. We'll see what happens as we get closer.

[SteveWillDoIt]

What did you think about Ilya's last performance?

[Dana White]

Incredible. Absolutely unbelievable.

[SteveWillDoIt]

You guys probably knew. I mean, I always saw him as being like a big star, but has that surprised you at all, how. Just how dominant he's been?

[Dana White]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, you don't know until it plays out. And then calling, calling the round, calling how he's going to do it and doing it to the guys that he's done it to is unbelievable. You know, Volk Holloway and. And now Charles.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Do you think he has the potential to reach, like, a McGregor level?

[Dana White]

You never know. I mean, he's obviously a massive star right now. The world's going to change a lot in the next year with our rights deals and, you know, depending on where we end up. I mean, but more than likely, we're going to end up with a platform that is way more global than we are now. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So is there anything you can tell us about that or when does that deal.

[Dana White]

There's nothing. I mean, I don't have anything right now. We're. We're in the middle of talks.

[SteveWillDoIt]

You know, when does that officially, like, kind of get announced?

[Dana White]

I don't know. We'll see how it plays out. Wow.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

Literally zero info on that right now.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You ever feel like it's like, time we. I'm the biggest McGregor fan of all time. We talked to him, period. Was just like, I gotta move on from this guy.

[Dana White]

What do you mean move on from him?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Well, because you announced, oh, he's fighting September last year, whenever it was. Didn't happen. Are you ever just like, I gotta.

[Dana White]

I mean, McGregor has gotten himself to point where he's, you know, he is and will be, you know, whether he stops fighting or not, one of the biggest superstars in sports, period. And he's gotten to a level of success in his life that, you know, he has to, I think, be motivated by something. He's accomplished everything and. And especially financially. And now he's got to find something that truly motivates him to. To want to come back and. And do this again. Yeah. I don't know if the White House is it, but we'll see.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I mean, he was at inauguration. We were with him. I thought, so he's got. This has got to mean something to him more than just money, right?

[Dana White]

Yeah. I. I don't know. I don't know. We'll see. You know, you get to a point in life, a lot of guys. I know a lot of guys that made a lot less money than Conor McGregor in the business world and, and retired and. And. And, you know, not the same things. Don't motivate everybody. Right. What motivates you, what excites you, what gets you out of bed in the morning and. You know what I mean, it's funny.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I'll go back and I'll watch these clips. And when we went to Ireland and we went and hung out with him in Dublin, I just noticed the way he Acted and stuff. And if you go back to before he was a superstar, he's like, listen, I'm only fighting for money and to take care of my family, and once I can do that, that's it for me. And we're in Dublin, Ireland. He was having fun with his family.

[Dana White]

Enjoying life, living on yachts now, like, he lives on yachts.

[Kyle Forgeard]

But he did everything.

[Dana White]

You see him, he's on a yacht.

[Kyle Forgeard]

He did everything he said he was going to do. So it's like.

[Dana White]

It's true.

[Kyle Forgeard]

That's what I noticed.

[Dana White]

You know what he's doing. He's enjoying time with his family. They're always on a boat. They're always doing fun shit. And, yeah, he'll never regret the time that he spent with his kids while they're growing up.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah, absolutely.

[SteveWillDoIt]

What was the biggest pay per view in UFC history? Was it Khabib Conner?

[Dana White]

Yes, Khabib. Connor and Connor Floyd.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Connor Floyd. I mean, Connor Floyd is tough to beat, but is there. Is there a fight in the UFC that you think could reach Connor Khabib level?

[Kyle Forgeard]

White House.

[Dana White]

Yeah. Jones Aspinall is a massive height.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Do you think that passes it, potentially?

[Dana White]

I don't know if it passes it, but it's that level of fight, I feel like. Obviously, especially because they're heavyweights, too.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah. And the Khabib Conner fight obviously got bigger the second the bell ended too. Right. When Khabib did that.

[Dana White]

And. And the leading up to it with the chair. The bus attack.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah. So I think that Ilia Patty, the baddie.

[Dana White]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Could be a massive buildup as well.

[Dana White]

I don't disagree. It's a big fight.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Does that one excite you at all?

[Dana White]

Yeah, definitely. And obviously that's a fight that the fans love too. And I don't know. We'll see. And people want to talk shit about Patty. He's fucking undefeated, and every time people count him out, he fucking wins and wins spectacularly. So fights are all about timing, too.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So it's crazy how the divisions just got shake like, shooken up, like, a few months ago, and now it's just like, lightweight is unbelievable. Welterweights now. It's like, no one knows what Islam's gonna do. Middleweight is, like, crazy. Those three divisions are just like, it's another massive fight.

[Dana White]

What the fuck? Another massive fight would be Ilia versus Islam too, of course.

[SteveWillDoIt]

But, I mean, Saleem is obsessed with that fight. He's obsessed with it, and I tell him, I'm like, but they both got to win more fights in their division first Right. That's kind of how you do it, right. When it's like they both run through their division and then it's like you're in the position where it's like, I gotta make this. That's what happened with Volk, Islam. Right.

[Dana White]

Well, the other thing is too, is that Islam moves up and obviously if Islam won the title, you know, you immediately have a super fight with him and Ilya.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So could that be Islam gets one victory? Could that potentially happen?

[Dana White]

You have to see. It's one thing to sit around. This is what the media always tries to, to sit around and talk about these fights before they happen. Or, you know, hypothetically speaking. I don't like hypothetical. These are options that we have if things play out that way. But you never know what's going to happen. You know, I was absolutely confident that Jones vs. Aspinall was done and we were going to do it. And here we are today, you know, so you never know. I just, I don't, I don't get into it until it actually happens.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Is there a fight that, you know, like, almost made that didn't happen?

[Dana White]

Aspinall, Jones, the fight was done. Everybody had agreed to it. Everybody agreed to the whatever. And then, and then Jones came back and said, I'm gonna retire.

[Kyle Forgeard]

What do you do when that happens? In that moment?

[Dana White]

Nothing. You move, listen is what it is.

[Kyle Forgeard]

It's happened so many times, probably for.

[Dana White]

You 15 years ago. Yeah. Lose my. But you know, you just become numb to it once you've done it for so long and to get right back to work and figure out what's next.

[Kyle Forgeard]

What are you doing with so. Because I see all you do is rock this. The Canelo Crawford shirt.

[Dana White]

Oh, yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

So what's your involvement with that? How does it affect the ufc?

[Dana White]

I'm promoting the fight. Yeah. So the reason that I wear the Canelo Crawford shirt when I'm doing Canelo Crawford press is so people don't mistakenly think that I'm doing a UFC press conference because I think when everybody sees me, they associate UFC immediately. So I always wear the Canelo Crawford shirt when I'm doing a Canelo Crawford.

[Kyle Forgeard]

And you just have a strict, like, marketing deal with, with boxing for that fight?

[Dana White]

No, I, I, I'm promoting the fight. We're, me and my team are running that fight.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Oh, yeah.

[Dana White]

So the stuff that I'm doing with boxing, we haven't even announced yet. Nobody even knows what the on, that's.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Not the Zufa boxing.

[Dana White]

No, this, this is, this is a one time deal. I'm promoting this fight for Shake Turkey, and. And then we'll announce what we're going to be doing, you know, and what we're going to be doing will kick off next year.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Is there anything you could tell us about what you want to do with the boxing?

[Dana White]

I like to take guys, for instance, the Contender series. It's my favorite thing that I do. I love the Contender series. I like taking young, up and coming talent and, and finding out what they got and trying to figure out how good we think they're going to be. And, I mean, if you go into the, the UFC war room right now, you know, most of. The, Most of the. When their names are up on the board, it says where they came from. There are so many guys up there from the Contender series, and, you know, we've already got world champions from the Contender series. And that's what I like to do. I like to put on the best fights in the world with the best fighters in the world.

[SteveWillDoIt]

When does that come back? Contender Series?

[Dana White]

We come back in August. Oh, yeah? Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

And how long does that run for?

[Dana White]

Runs for, like, I want to say, eight or ten weeks. I don't remember the exact running time, but everybody, and talking about new rights deals, everybody wants more Contender.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So you think with the right steels, like, I know if you said before, UFC could potentially end up on multiple different.

[Dana White]

Anything possible. Yeah, anything is possible.

[SteveWillDoIt]

That's crazy because. Yeah, there's. There's obviously certain platforms that could really even just grow the UFC even more. Right.

[Dana White]

Which is.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Could be insane.

[Dana White]

Yeah. And reach more people. And, you know, every year that we've done a deal, if you think about Spike tv, we started from there, we went to fox, from there, we went to espn. It's just we've leveled up every single time and made the sport bigger and bigger and bigger.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I don't know about this. So, I mean, I just asked you, like, when Jake, Paul and Tyson go to Netflix, you have to worry about all the pirate bullshit, people not buying pay per views. Why wouldn't you immediately go and try and do a deal like that?

[Dana White]

Why wouldn't we go sign a deal like Netflix where you just don't even.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Have to worry about paper?

[Dana White]

I mean, listen.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Well, they got to pay up, right?

[Kyle Forgeard]

But you could get.

[Dana White]

Cable television is dying quickly, satellites dying quickly. These streaming services, Netflix fucking stock is higher than it's ever been. They're killing it. And the world's going to change a lot when we do our next rights deal while we're in this Deal. The world will completely change by the time we come out the other side of that deal. Yeah. I love it, though. I. I love this kind of, you know.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

You know exactly how to do that. UFC on Netflix would be crazy, right?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah. We're gonna switch it up because I just. I've had this thought in my head now for probably, like, two weeks, because I. I told you. I keep seeing this. The clip of you on the boat playing blackjack. If you had to guess how much money we call. We say, you bail people out when they're down. Right. How much money do you think you've given away at the table?

[Dana White]

Oh, my God.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Seriously? I was like, it could be 20, 30 million dollars.

[Dana White]

It's a massive number. I wouldn't say that it's 20 or plus million, but it's. It's a big number.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You don't ever think about that. You're just. I'm helping out my buddy, and that's what it is.

[Dana White]

That's what it is. Yeah. I'm giving away more money than I ever thought I'd make.

[Kyle Forgeard]

That's pretty cool to say.

[Dana White]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

That's a new Dana quote.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Well, I've seen.

[Dana White]

It's the truth.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I've seen you give people 400k before, and I've just been like, you know, certain people refer to you as Batman. We wanted to actually get a. You know, the spotlight when they need Batman. We wanted to get that outside the red rocks, and we want to build the spotlight and have your face in the sky when you're needed. When he's stuck.

[Dana White]

That's funny. Yeah. Yeah. That's what Steve used to say. He used to text me and say, sending out the bat signal. I need help. Yeah, we just did it again. This last. This last lap event. Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah. So I guess had a huge session.

[Dana White]

Taylor and. Taylor and Cody were both.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Oh, co.

[Dana White]

Right. Yeah. We went and had a good session and worked everything out.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Did you see. I guess Ben Askren just woke.

[Dana White]

I did. I saw that popping up on my feed. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

That's crazy.

[Dana White]

Yeah. He doesn't even look the same. It's such.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I didn't even recognize him. Yeah, no, it looks completely different.

[Dana White]

You know, the kind of shape you got to be in to go through what that guy just went through. It's. It's unbelievable. I don't know all the details of. You know, I know he had, like, the. Is it that you get on your skin? Jumped right out of my head. The. That eats your flesh away.

[SteveWillDoIt]

I don't even know either.

[Dana White]

Yeah, you know it, you guys all know it, get it all the time. Staff. Yeah, I think it started with staff and from staff and ended up up his lungs somehow from what I understand. You know, I, I reached out to his wife a few times during the, you know, but you know, she, I'm sure was an absolute wreck and yeah, it's good to see him wake up.

[SteveWillDoIt]

You want to tell us about the new form Energy?

[Dana White]

Yes. I've always been a fan of energy drinks and I, I got pitched the opportunity to, to partner up on this and, and be a partner in it and I, I, I love that I got to have a hand in designing the drinks. You know what I mean? It's fire made them healthier and you know, they're great tasting and, and, and, and I'm a fan. I drink them. So yeah, now I have my own.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Well, you sent them to us. We love them at Steiny's house.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah. Fully stocked, baby. They're amazing. I'm serious. The grape one is like the best energy drink I've had.

[Dana White]

So the grape one online with all the polling, the grapes killing.

[Kyle Forgeard]

This tastes like a grape Welch's soda. I could drink it all day.

[SteveWillDoIt]

The grape Happy dad too is the most popular. So it's really, which you would never think grape would be the most popular, right?

[Dana White]

It is interesting. I actually like the Big Papas. I, I was at the store. There's this corner store called the Levant corner store. It's right on the corner of my house and they literally had the form energies lined up next to the Big pop. That's the thing. I thought that was hilarious. And yeah, so I grabbed everyone that they had there and then I had, I had Shahidi's send me a some up there too. And I really liked them.

[SteveWillDoIt]

What do you guys do in Maine when you go up there?

[Dana White]

We, I, I have everything, man. We, every gun that you can imagine, we shoot, we have every toy, you know, and, and, and I ride my motorcycle a lot up there. And at night we just get up and have fun. It's me and all my cousins, my family, my friends.

[SteveWillDoIt]

You guys probably go nuts.

[Dana White]

Yeah. So when is it?

[SteveWillDoIt]

Right on the lake, on the water.

[Dana White]

We go to the lake too, but it's like a 40 minute drive from my house. But yeah, we put on like the best fireworks show on the planet there. Like my fireworks show was 25 minutes long and it's like, not like that. It's like, like the crate. The craziest night fireworks show ever. And people come from, like, other towns and park their cars all around my property and watch the. Really watch the fireworks.

[SteveWillDoIt]

How many people were there?

[Dana White]

Who knows?

[SteveWillDoIt]

Just, like, hundreds.

[Dana White]

Yeah. Just crazy. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

How much you drop on the fireworks?

[Dana White]

You know, I don't even know. No, my cousin does them. I. I pay for him, and he does them. That's awesome. I spent. I want to say, my guy that runs all my. Up there was telling me that we spent, like, $26,000 in eight days on liquor. $28,000.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Well, you're drinking nice. Probably nice wine and all the.

[Dana White]

No, no wine. Zero wine. How do you hit that? It's all hard liquor. Even your. I mean, you guys sent us that for free, so that doesn't count. Yeah, I don't know how we did it, but we did it. He was telling me we went through, like, 100 and something. Thousand cups, like, the solo cups.

[SteveWillDoIt]

And how many people were there?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah. Who the hell. Who's drinking with you, too?

[Dana White]

First of all, this was. He told me this on 4th of July, so that didn't even count. 4th of July, like, people just show up at my house that I don't even know. You know what I mean? There's people everywhere.

[SteveWillDoIt]

The hell is that? Kind of a small town. It's probably a small town, too, right?

[Dana White]

Yeah, it is.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So words.

[Dana White]

Oh. So I've been doing it every year for however many years. Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You'll be in your kitchen and, like, who the hell is this guy?

[Dana White]

There was a kid that came up. I don't know if you saw it on my. The guy that was doing the wheelies.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

He showed up just to fudge and do wheelies at my house. And I literally called the Frank who runs Nitro Circus and getting this kid hooked up with the. With an interview at Nitro Circus. But. Yeah, but that's. That's part of what I love about being up there.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Is that, like, your favorite spot to go to?

[Dana White]

Oh, yeah, by far. And that's where all my friends want to go to, like, when we got to go somewhere or whatever. Everybody wants to go to my house in Maine.

[SteveWillDoIt]

What's better, Main or Amalfi Coast? Because you say that's one of your favorite.

[Dana White]

Totally different trips, Amalfi Coast. In my opinion, there's a reason the richest, most famous people in the world go there every single summer. It is the greatest place on earth.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Told you, bro.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Stein wanted to take his new chick.

[Dana White]

There and to do it. The restaurants, the food, just the water. I mean, everything is incredible. You. You know what? You guys should do. If you probably have to do it next year because it's too late in the game now. You guys charter a boat next summer and do the Amalfi coast and I'll give you the restaurants, the place to go and you won't believe it, you're gonna go on Sunday.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So we might, we might.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Maybe we'll do it this. We might do it.

[Dana White]

You got to do it on a boat, though.

[SteveWillDoIt]

On a boat? Yeah.

[Dana White]

I'm telling you, it's. It'll ruin you.

[SteveWillDoIt]

How many rooms is the boat you rent?

[Dana White]

There's enough room for, for my family and bring a couple friends, mother in law, whatever. But you know.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Well, because I saw it in the video last year because you, you took the helicopter.

[Dana White]

Yeah, there's helicopter. Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

How big is that boat?

[Dana White]

It's big.

[Kyle Forgeard]

It's probably like 12 staff members.

[Dana White]

It's like 300ft or something.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

How much does that cost a night?

[Dana White]

Not. Not cheap. Yeah, it's not cheap, but you don't have to go that crazy. Yeah, you guys could get a badass boat. No, that, that's manageable.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Let's go boat for boat.

[Dana White]

That's why we have to talk.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah, we'll compete.

[Dana White]

My, my buddy Kevin Turner, who, who he was the chief operating officer of Microsoft and then before that he was with Walmart and he's never done it, so I had him charter the boat that I had last year and he, he goes next week and I'm excited for him. And it's, it's just something that if you have the money and you can do it, it's something that you have to experience in your life. I'll do it every year till I fucking drop dead. Every summer I'm doing it. That's how much I like it.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Speaking of Walmart too, I texted you remember that idea I had for a video?

[Dana White]

Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

So I talked to Aiden too. We're doing the streaming thing now, right? So we're kind of doing a lot with him. So we had this idea to do. We thought it would be cool to do like a Shark Tank type, not like a parody, but us, you and Aiden, and we post on the Internet and we say if you have a existing business idea.

[Dana White]

You see those four chairs over there?

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

I do that every, every day.

[SteveWillDoIt]

We post it, we make a big thing and we say it could be an app, it could be a product, it could be a service. And then we'll go through them all in email and we choose X amount of People and they get to come in and pitch me, you and Aiden, I love it. To potentially. And maybe we actually partner with them and we do it for a live stream.

[Dana White]

It's a great. If you're down to do it, great idea. I think it'd be. Count me in.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Let's do it.

[Dana White]

I'm in.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I want to get your actual opinion on when you pulled up to Brand Risk. You went to Aiden's event to see a streamer. Do try and do exactly what you're doing. It was, it is boxing but like what was your opinion on that?

[Dana White]

It's, it's, it was crazy. And what ended up happening like a few weeks later. Yeah, I thought was going to happen the night that I was there.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Oh really?

[Dana White]

Yeah, it was just, it was fucking crazy.

[Kyle Forgeard]

So he needs more security.

[Dana White]

He needs more security. A hundred percent. Needs more security. Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Do you see like potential in what he's trying to do?

[Dana White]

Yeah, as long as, as long as nobody gets hurt. Yeah, yeah. Fights are fun, man. And, and listen, he's putting together people that people are interested in seeing fight and you know, different. No different than the Jake Paul thing. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

How do you feel that he went head to head with Ilya that night? I feel like, I thought, I feel like no one was talking about his fight. Really.

[Dana White]

Listen, I don't think those guys always make great decisions, but they're not, they're not fight guys. They don't understand the business. Even the warlock, you know, the warlock, you know, thinks he knows what he's talking about. Which by the way, somebody was just telling me that he was saying that Use my name. Talking about defamation, that, that I said Jake was on steroids. No, what happened was Jake said that I snort cocaine, that I'm a cokehead. So my rebuttal to that was, I'll tell you what, you can test me randomly for the next five years for cocaine. If I can test you randomly for performance answering drugs the next two years. And I never got a response on that. So to say that I was talking about him using or saying anything. I never come out and just talk about the guy unless I'm asked the question and I respond to the question. But that one was, he's like, oh, this guy's a cokehead, snorting coke all the time. Okay, fair enough. Drug test me randomly for the next five years. If I can randomly drug test you for performance enhancing drugs for the next two years, let's do it. That's how confident I am that I don't snort cocaine.

[SteveWillDoIt]

I made that same bet with Steinie. No response. I said, I said he could test me for steroids. Funny, that's no response. Interesting.

[Dana White]

I'll do it. I'll do it.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Let's do it.

[Dana White]

And other than when me and Jake Paul have gone back and forth with each other, I've never said anything to defame him. And then when he was talking about his fights being fixed, I don't think that people are actually saying that they're predetermined outcomes, that they're fixing the fights, you know, with predetermined outcomes. They're saying if you're fighting a 60 year old fucking guy that can barely walk to the fucking ring. Right. And almost died two months before that, it's almost like a predetermined outcome. That's what they're saying. Like, there's no. Could Tyson catch him with one? Maybe. But fighting 60 year old guys is, is, you know, basically what I think people are talking about, about fixed fights.

[SteveWillDoIt]

That one was a tough watch, the Tyson one. But I mean, I guess they just get offered a huge bag and it's like, how do they turn it down?

[Dana White]

Yeah, I get it.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Jake versus Tyson. I guess Tyson wanted to do it too, right?

[Dana White]

100%. Yeah, I get it. I'm not saying anything. Fucking. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

But yeah, that was that one.

[Dana White]

It is what it is. When people ask me about that, it's like talking about Aiden stuff, you know?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

If you get two guys that are popular, people are probably always going to watch and want to see him fight.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Dana, I'm going to ask you one more thing. What do you think is your most memorable moment you've had in the ufc? For you, that'll just be like.

[Dana White]

To pick one moment that's been the most memorable is tough to do, but I mean, I look at it more as milestones that we've hit, you know, from Forest Griffin and Stefan Bonner, which launched everything and made all this possible to, you know, getting our first fight in Vegas sanctioned. And I mean, there's just been so many milestones that I would look at more and, and there's, there's too many to just pick one. Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You know, on another note, all these, Every entrepreneur we've had on says the same thing, but like, how do you, how do you, what motivates you to keep going? You were just like, I can't do this anymore.

[Dana White]

Actually, it's funny, we're just talking about the, the Shark Tank thing. I was sitting in here yesterday with a couple of real guys and I'm talking about possibly getting into something else right now. I'm gonna go, I'm putting all my together and I'm gonna go go pitch it to see if he wants to take a piece of this and then we'll throw it into throw one. I just keep take, collecting all these little niche sports and, and, and putting them into our company throw one and building this just big sports franchise.

[SteveWillDoIt]

What do you think drives you in general though? One thing I, I think about you is you just like, I think you like to prove people wrong and shut people up too.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Right?

[Dana White]

I fucking love that more than anything. But I also like take. People always ask me like, would you ever buy a piece of an N or NBA? Never in a million years. I would want nothing to do. They're, they're lethargic and old and move too slow. And I like taking niche sports that nobody believes in and building them into something and, and it's way more fun. And it's, you know, you get involved in one of these big sports teams and shit, they don't make any money till they sell. Yeah, you know, that's no fucking fun.

[SteveWillDoIt]

I never understood that the business of owning like 1% of a sports team, is it just like a flex to own it?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah, I know a guy who does.

[Dana White]

Yeah. No, I'm not, I have no interest in that whatsoever.

[SteveWillDoIt]

I never understood that.

[Dana White]

It's a good long term bet though. I mean if you, if you, if you have the money and you're not looking, you know, I like every day I like to look and see how we're winning and then figure out what aren't we doing. How do we tweak it to make it better? And you know, there are a lot of little details and running and building a business day to day, you know, you buy one of these, you know, massive teams. Like a few years ago the Houston Rockets were for sale and Tillman Fertitta, the Lorenzo Frank's cousin ended up buying it. He lives in Houston. And you know, you look at some of these guys that paid $57 million for one of these franchises. Now they're all worth billions of dollars. You know, 15, 20, 30 years later. That's the long term play. If you, if you have that kind of, that kind of money and you buy a franchise, it's, it's, it's a long term play.

[Kyle Forgeard]

How do you manage relationships? Because I'm sure you have like, how do you separate your friends in business? If you have a Good friend of yours that needs money and you don't believe in what he's doing. Will you be straight up with him?

[Dana White]

You know how I always say everybody's full of. I had a chance. I had the opportunity to buy into the. The Golden Knights, right?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

The Maloofs. The Maloof brothers are the ones that made that thing happen. Yeah. And they are some of my favorite people ever. The guys that used to own the Palms, and they came to me with the whole thing, and I was like, hockey in Vegas, I just don't get you. You know, you're looking at a guy that does niche sports and all this. I didn't think hockey in Vegas was going to work. The Golden Knights are huge. Huge.

[SteveWillDoIt]

They do it right.

[Dana White]

So when I say everybody's full of. You don't know, right. What's going to happen or what people are capable of or what you could do. So my thing is, I always say, don't listen to anybody. Anybody who tells you you can't do something, it's full of. Anything's possible.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I saw a clip. You did? When did you do Club Shay Shay? Was that a while ago?

[Dana White]

Club what?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Shay Shay. Shannon Sharp sing.

[Dana White]

Yeah, we did that right over there. Yeah, it was probably last summer.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Am I. Am I crazy right now, or did he say. Did you get. He knew about a casino where you could take. You could have action. One million on one hand.

[Dana White]

Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Is that true?

[Dana White]

Well, no, it hasn't been true, but it started to materialize in the last couple of days.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

So I've been talking to one of the casino groups who reached out to me. Me and Michael Rubin want to do it together. Me and my Michael Rubin want to go in together and be able to play a million a hand each. And we're right there. It's gonna happen.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Like with. You're talking directly with one casino or you're gonna.

[Dana White]

We're talking to one casino group. Yeah. It's gonna happen.

[Kyle Forgeard]

You know how fast that could get really scary.

[Dana White]

Oh, yeah. It's gonna be mental. It's gonna be mental.

[SteveWillDoIt]

And would you bring the cash or would they give you a. A credit?

[Dana White]

Yeah, you go in there and you go crash. Especially a million a hand. Yeah. You play credit. And if we win, we gotta roll out of there with a dump truck. And if we lose, it'd be scary to jump off the roof of whatever.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Little chip starts stacking up at a mill a hand.

[Dana White]

Oh, yeah. Oh.

[Kyle Forgeard]

If it gets bad, you'll be at the top of the stratosphere. I'LL be like, dana, you can't. You gotta go back in one more session.

[Dana White]

You know, you can jump off the top of the stratosphere with one of those tables on. I'll jump out the cable. Cable.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Have you. Did you do it with the cable?

[Dana White]

No, I'll do it without the cable.

[Kyle Forgeard]

But have you done it with the cable?

[Dana White]

No, never.

[Kyle Forgeard]

It's terrifying.

[Dana White]

You did it.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I did it.

[Dana White]

Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

It's the scariest thing of all time.

[Dana White]

I bet it is. I can't even imagine how far do you freefall before it slows you down?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Like five or six seconds. But it's the scariest thing of your life.

[Dana White]

Five or six seconds. How close do you get to the ground?

[Kyle Forgeard]

Probably like 30ft.

[Dana White]

Wow.

[Kyle Forgeard]

It slows you down real quick at the bottom, so you're free falling first.

[Dana White]

That's a while. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Once you play a mill a hand, though, are you ever gonna be able to play 30k a hand again? That's just gonna feel like. It's gonna feel like nothing.

[Dana White]

It's interesting. Yeah. Listen, you're not wrong. There's levels to everything, and that's like the only. That'll be the high of all highs. Yeah. Or the lower fall. Yeah. But that's the beauty of gambling. Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

I guess the last thing I got is just a business question because you've been so successful with so many different things. How do you, like, know when your ego's getting in the way of something that, you know it might not work or, you know, it's. It's not going the way you want it to, but you've done it so many times, they continue to go.

[Dana White]

It's a good question. And I'm assuming you're. You mean ego by am I holding on too long? And like, I think I could do this, but I can't. Yeah. I don't know when. When. The answer is the cup. We have done it, though, me and me and I've. I've had. I've had a few fails and I knew when to cut the cord. Especially when. When it. When it's not fun and you're like, yeah, I up and got way out of my lane here. So back in 8, 9, 10, when the. When the economy crashed, you know, the housing market fell out and lots of people lost their houses and their cars. And all this up and down Sahara here in Vegas are all the car dealerships, and they were all gone. Right. So I was like, there's still a lot of good people in Vegas, you know, that go to work Pay their bills. And so I opened a car dealer. I bought one of the car dealerships. Open it up. Me and one of my buddies did it together that I grew up with in Boston. And now you want to talk about. Let me tell you what. The car business is a very hard business to. To run. And you got to know exactly what the you' doing. We got murdered. Murdered on this deal. The only thing that saved our ass was I actually went in and bought the property. Oh. So I bought the building and the land it was on. So then as everything started to turn and come back, property value went like this. So when we closed out the business and shut it down and we were upside down and, you know, a couple million bucks or whatever, I sold the property and then split it with my partner, and we both walked away. Okay.

[Kyle Forgeard]

But when it was.

[Dana White]

You can feel.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

You know, when you need to shut it down and we're in over our heads, and we. We should have stayed in our lane dealing with that. We know about that one. What's another good one that I. I got my ass kicked. I had it before I started telling that story, but, yeah, I've had a couple of. A couple of. Yeah, this was a bad idea. Let's move on. Yeah.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Yeah.

[Dana White]

You just. You cut bait, and you. You move on.

[SteveWillDoIt]

Well, yeah, anytime. We always love having you on. I think Dana's definitely has the record for most full sun podcast, so.

[Kyle Forgeard]

Dude, appreciate you, brother.

[Dana White]

I love hanging out and shooting the with you guys. Yeah.

[SteveWillDoIt]

100.

[Dana White]

All right.

[Kyle Forgeard]

All right, Dana. Thanks again.

[Dana White]

Sam.