Rich Dudes│How MMA Legend Dana White Hustled His Portfolio to $500M

Dana White has been the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) since 2001, when he and childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta purchased it for a mere $2 million.

The sale price? An impressive $4.025 billion.

The UFC has flourished into one of the biggest professional sports commissions in the world and boasted an annual gross revenue breaching $1 billion in 2021.

Dana White net worth at a glance

Dana Frederick White, Jr. is an American businessman and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 

Born in Manchester, Connecticut, White attended Hermon High School, where he first met Lorenzo Fertitta. After dropping out of college twice, White moved to Las Vegas where he began training jiu-jitsu under John Lewis.

White was perfecting his tiger muay Thai in the gym when he, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Lorenzo's brother Frank purchased the UFC in 2001 for $2 million, subsequently appointing White as president. Since then, the UFC has become one of the most successful sports organizations in the world, worth a reported $7 billion.

Dana White's wife, Anne, and their three children, Savannah, Aiden, and Dana III, live in Las Vegas.

Dana White started out as a mixed martial arts coach and, with the help of the Fertitta brothers, was able to acquire the UFC. Today, he's an extremely successful businessman and entrepreneur with an approximate net worth of over $500 million as of 2023. 

Dana White's annual salary as UFC president is $20 million. White is known to invest his money in luxury cars, real estate, fine art, and other collectibles.

Dana White is worth an estimated $500 million thanks to his $20 million salary as president of the UFC and his portfolio of real estate, art, and cars. It's unclear whether his blackjack winnings have contributed to his net worth.

Does Dana White own the UFC?

When Dana White met Bob Meyrowitz in 2001, the owner of SEG, he suggested Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta buy the company for $2 million. 

They sold it in 2016 for an impressive $4 billion to a consortium of investors (including flavormaster Guy Fieri) led by WME-IMG.

Dana White was given a fresh stake in the business and a seven-year deal to remain UFC president until 2026.

Interested in investing in the UFC? It’s publicly traded under the parent company Endeavor Group Holdings, so swing while the iron's hot.

White has been involved in numerous high-profile fights, like the 2017 Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor boxing match.

In his free time, White is a recreational gambler. He’s particularly interested in high-stakes blackjack and sports betting. In fact, he placed a $1 million bet that Jermain Taylor would beat Kelly Pavlik in 2007.

Here’s the breakdown of Dana White’s net worth.

1. Luxury cars

Luxury cars are a major feature of Dana White’s portfolio. 

• Datsun B210, his very first car.
• A smart car that he acquired for $12,000 after a drinking spree with his friends.
• Custom $300,000 Mercedes Maybach van wrapped in Howler Head Whiskey logos.
• 1969 Chevy Camaro
• 1969 Ford Bronco
• 1971 Plymouth Barracuda
• 2012 Range Rover
• 2014 Bentley
• Cadillac Escalade ESV
• Custom Harley Davidson 
• Ferrari F430
• A Ferrari Testarossa
• Land Rover Defender V8
• Two BMW M6s
• Ducati motorcycle
• MV Augusta motorcycle

And to crown it all, White also owns a Bombardier private jet worth around $90 million.

Classic car collecting is a viable way to diversify your portfolio with something that could potentially grow in value. The HAGI Top Index tracking exceptional automobiles has increased by nearly 265% since 2008.

Cars become collectible when they are rare, beautiful, or have the provenance of a celebrity owner. Following Dana White’s lead and trying your hand at collectible cars is easy with Rally, a trading platform that lets you buy shares in collectibles like classic cars, Rolex watches, and vintage toys.

2.  Residential real estate

• A 7,700-square-foot home acquired in October 2016 for $1.8 million.
• A 5,500-square-foot home purchased in January 2017 costing him $2.4 million.
• A 4,700-square-foot property purchased in 2017 for $2 million.

3. Commercial real estate 

Dana White announced plans to build a hotel on the UFC's property. It will be built across from the UFC headquarters and will save them money on accommodation costs for fighters. 

His real estate investments are really paying off—average returns for real estate are 10.6% for residential, 9.5% for commercial, and 11.8% for REITs.

With the planned hotel on the UFC's property, Dana White is set to continue to grow his net worth and influence in the Las Vegas area. 

Ready to try your hand at real estate investing without actually having to buy a property? Elevate Money is a platform that lets you buy shares in commercial real estate for as little as $100. They make it easy to own the ground that cash-flowing businesses, like dollar stores and gas stations, are built on.

4.  Art and antiques

Dana White’s net worth also includes art and collectibles. He’s always looking for unique pieces to add to his collection, like Japanese antiques, martial arts photography, and rare fossils. 

Investments don’t need to just be numbers on a screen. Here are some of the coolest artworks and memorabilia pieces in White's collection.

• A set of 16th-century Samurai armor.
• An entire skull of a saber tooth tiger valued at $250K to $350K.
• Dana dropped $69,000 to buy two 1600’s Japanese Samurai Swords.
• Nobuyoshi Araki photograph for $1.2M.

Contemporary art has returned 43% over the past 5 years. If you want to join Dana White and diversify your own portfolio, try buying shares in some of the world’s best contemporary art with Masterworks.

White's extreme net worth is attributed to his success in the sports industry by promoting the UFC and helping martial arts gain recognition as a global professional sport. He's arguably responsible for turning fighting from a niche pastime into a billion-dollar business.

But, Dana White knows how to spend his money, too—luxury cars, real estate, and collectibles are just a few of the things his UFC money is buying. His investments have paid off as well, making him one of the wealthiest people in pro sports.

1. Be true to yourself

2. Do what you love

3. Fight for success