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No figure has been more influential in the “new” era of MMA than Dana White, who through sheer force of will has been responsible for catapulting the sport to levels of popularity few people, even UFC founders Art Davie and Bob Meyrowitz, may have ever thought possible. A boxing trainer and businessman who operated a few gyms in Las Vegas, white was introduced to MMA in the 1990’s and was so enthralled by it that he began representing UFC fighters like Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Eventually he convinced good friend Lorenzo Fertitta, a casino executive and member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, to purchase the UFC in 2001.

At the time, the UFC was experiencing a distinct lull, mainly due to major resistance in the political and regulatory communities. But White, installed by Fertitta as president of the organization, rehabilitated its image, ramped up the level of competition, implemented a deft marketing/merchandising strategy and used the power of television and the internet to its fullest advantage.

The results have been readily evident, to say the least. The UFC has generated million-dollar live gates on a regular basis and chalked up record ratings on cable TV and pay-per-view. The UFC is now one of the most recognizable brand names in sports, and is firmly entrenched as a part of popular culture. That his may have been accomplished on behalf of a sport that had once seemed on the verge of extinction is a certain testament to a man whose dogged determination has literally spawned a billion-dollar worldwide industry.