Dana White announces he extended his contract seven more years
Dana White will be sticking around as the President of the UFC for another seven years. It was announced yesterday that ESPN+ will be the exclusive home for UFC pay-per-views. And, along with extending UFC on ESPN and additionally two years for seven years total, White announced he has extended his contract seven more years as well.
“We had a five-year deal with them,” White said. “Now, we have a seven-year deal. And [UFC parent company Endeavor CEO] Ari Emanuel and I just signed a new seven-year deal, too. So, we’re here for seven years, ESPN is here for seven years. And the incredible things that we’re gonna work on, I just can’t even tell you how pumped I am for all of this stuff.”
For White, to still be a part of the UFC and see it grow to this level is something he helped. And for him, he still believes in the UFC and a major reason why he wanted to stay on.
“Nobody believes in this business more than I do,” White said. “After the sale, I stayed on, and we’ve been working hard for the last 2-1/2 years to take this thing to the next level. That’s why I’m here. I didn’t stay here — it’s not about money, it’s not about any of that stuff. I don’t care about any of that stuff. I like to win, and I like to take this thing to the next level, the next level, the next level. And it’s what we’ve done and it’s what we’re gonna continue to do.”
Ultimately, since White first started with the UFC, he admits that the ESPN deal is the biggest thing he has done with the company.
“A lot of big things have happened to us over the years, but once you make it to ESPN, you know you’ve made it as a sport,” White said. “And right now, if you look at our deal, where we’re at, what we’re doing, we’re now one of the top four sports in the United States. The Big Four has changed. We are now one of them.”
