Is Dana White the owner of UFC? Here's a history of ownership of the biggest MMA promotion in the world

Under Dana White, the UFC has become a global brand and the top MMA promotion in the world. Despite being at the helm as the promotion's president, there's a misconception that White owns the promotion, which isn't the case.

The promotion was founded in 1993 by Art Davie and Rorion, along with owners Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), and started as a 'no-holds barred' open weight tournament. The early years of the promotion introduced MMA to the United States, with fighters like Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn eventually becoming the pillars of the promotion.

In 2001, the UFC was purchased by Zuffa, which was created by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. The brothers purchased the promotion for $2 million and put their friend and business partner, White, in charge as the promotion's president.

The Zuffa era saw the promotion venture into reality television with the creation of The Ultimate Fighter, which was a massive success and led to a long-term broadcast deal with Spike TV. The promotion set new records in terms of pay-per-view buyrates and attendance records, and the sport as a whole began to be accepted and legalized on a national level.

After years of record profits, Zuffa sold the promotion to WME-IMG (Endeavor) for $4 billion.

The Fertitta brothers clearly made a massive profit from the sale, as it was much more than the $2 million they originally purchased it for. Under new ownership, the promotion has become a fixture on ESPN, which is regarded as the leader in sports.

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UFC 30 was first with Dana White at helm

UFC 30 was the first event with Dana White at the helm as the promotion's president. The event took place at the Mark G. Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on February 23, 2001.

The event was headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Tito Ortiz and Evan Tanner. 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' retained his title after knocking out the challenger with a slam.

In the co-main event, Jens Pulver earned a unanimous decision win over Caol Uno to win the inaugural UFC lightweight championship. 'Lil' Evil' would go on to defend his title twice more before leaving the promotion.