Dana White 60 Minutes Interview: UFC Growth, ~$8B Media Deal and Ties to Donald Trump
In a CBS 60 Minutes profile, Dana White recounted taking the UFC from the margins after the Fertitta brothers bought it in 2001 for $2 million (giving White a 10% stake and naming him CEO), growing it into a business sold for $4 billion in 2016 and now valued at more than $15 billion with roughly 675 fighters under contract. The interview notes Paramount/Skydance reportedly paid about $7.7 billion (described in the transcript as "almost $8 billion") for U.S. media rights, and White reiterated his longtime friendship with Donald Trump, saying Trump hosted an early UFC card at the Trump Taj Mahal and "watched the whole card."
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How Dana White took the UFC from the margins to the mainstream
New information:
- 2001: Fertitta brothers bought the UFC for $2 million and gave Dana White a 10% stake; White was tapped to run the company.
- 2016: UFC sold for $4 billion (condition that White remain CEO); current valuation cited at more than $15 billion with about 675 fighters under contract.
- August 2025: Paramount / Skydance reportedly offered about $7.7 billion for U.S. media rights over seven years (as reported in the profile).
Dana White on the UFC and his friendship with President Trump
New information:
- CBS 60 Minutes transcript includes Dana White's direct anecdote that Donald Trump hosted an early UFC card at the Taj Mahal and 'watched the whole card.'
- The transcript explicitly references Paramount/Skydance having paid 'almost $8 billion' for the UFC's media rights and repeats the league valuation of 'more than $15 billion.'
- Concrete organizational detail repeated in the transcript: the UFC has about 675 fighters under contract.