Dana White reveals his parents died recently as UFC chief tells Piers Morgan of ‘difficult’ relationship with them
UFC supremo Dana White has revealed he’s dealing with the recent passing of his parents.
White – who was promoted to CEO after the UFC‘s merger with the WWE this week – opened up on his relationship with his family during an eye-opening interview with Sun columnist Piers Morgan.
The veteran promoter, 54, has seldom spoken about his childhood, although he credits it for instilling the immense work ethic which has made him a sporting titan.
He told Talk TV: “My relationship with my parents has definitely made me who I am today in many different anways, not just in life and in business, but as a father too.
“My parents taught me a lot about what I didn’t want to be as a parent.
“I don’t really talk about, I don’t think I have ever talked about this, but my parents both died recently.”
The late June and Dana Sr were peripheral figures in White’s lives before their passings, so much so that he wasn’t struck down by pain after learning of their deaths.
“‘I am good with it, I am good with everything,” White continued. “I focus a lot on my kids and my relationship with them.
“And I have sort of put my relationship with my parents behind me.
“I didn’t wish any ill will on either one of my parents, but no, I didn’t, when they passed away, I had almost no feelings about it, to be honest with you.”
White is regarded by many to be an unstoppable force in the sports world, with plenty of onlookers in awe of the UFC when they became the first major sports organisation to resume action during the pandemic.
That indomitable spirit, the MMA mogul believes, is the byproduct of a seemingly strained relationship with his late parents.
He said: “I cannot deny the fact that the way that I am built and the way the drive and all the things that I have, definitely come from the relationship that I had with my parents, there is no doubt about it.
“But no, I have no remorse, I don’t feel bad about the way that I grew up.
“I mean it when I say that I wouldn’t change one thing about the way that I was brought up.
“Because I truly believe, had I not had them for parents, had I not had the upbringing that I did have, that I wouldn’t be who I am today. That’s a fact.”
White was promoted from president to CEO of the UFC following the completion of the promotion’s merger with WWE on Tuesday.
But he won’t be stepping back from his current duties any time soon, saying: “I never said my time was up when I was 40.
“When I look at some of these posts and everybody is talking about how old I f***ing look.
“I am f***ing old – that’s how this works. I’m older today than I f***ing was yesterday. That’s how this works.
“I feel like I’m f***ing 25 again. I’ve been taking my health seriously [and] I feel great.
“When you start talking about my time is up here, the last 20 years have gone by like this [clicks his finger and thumb].
“How fast are the next 20 years gonna go? There is still a lot of work to do.
“Today was a really, really big day for the sport.”