“He slapped me across the face” - Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel reveals Dana White’s aggressive avatar which kept UFC alive during the pandemic

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel has a lot of praise for UFC president Dana White and recently credited him for keeping the promotion alive during the pandemic.

In 2020, professional sports leagues went on hiatus as a result of the global pandemic, which resulted in lost revenue for numerous teams and athletes. While speaking to Jay Shetty, the Endeavor CEO mentioned that White aggressively pursued other alternatives that would ensure the UFC could continue with their scheduled events.

He said:

"[Dana White said] 'We're not shutting down.' I got scared and he slapped me across the face and like, 'We're going.' And then he said, 'Get me an island'...And he was just driving that train. And so, we got him an island and he did everything else and it kind of just reminded me like, yeah, it's nerve-wracking but don't be scared."

Check out the clip here:

He went on to add that White's decision was significant, especially considering the global situation, and the UFC's TV rights deal with ESPN, saying:

"If we didn't have that, the whole company would've tanked. Because, we needed the ESPN deal to continue going, we need to put on fights, and his courage like dragging me along was incredible."

It will be interesting to see what Ari Emanuel and Dana White have planned for the future as they continue growing the sport and the UFC's presence globally.

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Ari Emanuel shares what life lessons he teaches his kids

Ari Emauel has been very successful in the entertainment industry, so it's understandable that he would have a wealth of knowledge.

During the aforementioned interview, Ari Emanuel shared some life lessons that he teaches his kids. Although they seem simplistic, he mentioned that they are important because of their results, saying:

"All of them, I just try and teach them one thing: you gotta work hard and you gotta show up. The results you're not gonna control. If you do those things and there's many other things...but those are kind of it. You work really hard, you show up, outcomes you can't control, that's what you want." [54:14 - 54:35]