Dana White Hails Men of Hulk Hogan Era for Paving The Way for UFC: “Lasting Impression”

UFC CEO Dana White cited WWE's Hulk Hogan, among others, as a huge force in shaping the way he built the company, after his passing.

Dana White Hails Men of Hulk Hogan Era for Paving The Way for UFC: “Lasting Impression”

Dana White pays tribute to late WWE star Hulk Hogan (Source: X)

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Terry Bollea, wildly infamous and better known as Hulk Hogan, passed away on Thursday due to a sudden cardiac arrest. The iconic WWE Hall of Famer was the helmsman and mainstream brand face of pro wrestling in the ’80s which shaped the later eras. Per UFC CEO Dana White, though, his buddying essence is something that helped the combat sports promotion as well.

Clearwater PD reported that on-site agents and medics were summoned to Hogan’s premises for a cardiovascular emergency. The professional wrestler was immediately transferred to a hospital, where he died an hour later at the age of 71.

The pro-Americano supreme “Hulkamania” war cry was a go-to back in the ’80s and early ’90s. It was what most fans would optically adhere to, more so than ‘ruthless aggression’ or ‘attitude’ era of fighters. Many sporting industry notables have already poured in their sentiments on the matter. Now, so does Dana White:

Listen – that’s my era. I’m 55 years old [now],… so I grew up right in that [era] when the WWF was massive and Hulk was becoming a really big star; I watched the WWF back then, [and] I was a Hulk Hogan fan! …On the way to my room [RNC], Hulk Hogan grabbed me and asked me if he could talk to me privately for a second…you know, I’ll never forget that conversation that we had that night. He was a good man, he was special. He loved the president and obviously, he loved America.

Dana White to “The Five” & “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Fox News Channel #1 (@JesseBWatters)

A three-time RNC speaker for the then-GOP Presidential Nominee, he has had multiple friendly brush-ins with him. This includes the rare Presidential victory speech. White also credited Hogan, the legend Muhammad Ali, Don King, and the fledgling era of combat sports for shaping what UFC is today.

The way that the UFC is today and the things that I’ve done to build it all have a little piece of all those guys and their businesses,..[And] Hogan paved the way for me to be where I am today, they all had an impact and a lasting impression in my life. And definitely the way that the UFC is today.

Dana White futher said

Hulk Hogan’s dwindling fame took a further nosedive in recent years for his staunch pro-Donald Trump takes, due the 4th State head’s stern tariff upheavel, pro-deportation and immigration-enforcement tactics/DHS-sanctions in place. His upfront political stance has bleached out much of the nostalgia that Hogan carried along with his fight flare and theatrics, which America had fallen in love with.

As a matter of fact, during the milestone debut of the ‘RAW’ brand on Netflix, Hogan was vehemently booed for his association. He said he expected as much with the Democratic sidetracking of California. However, he is a big part of the worldwide wrestling phenomenon, and his legacy will live on as that. Additionally, other UFC notables have also poured in with responses.

Colby Covington reacts to news on Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is a six-time WWE champion who even won “Royal Rumble” honors. A glorified WWE HOF inductee, he saw his first entry as an individual in 2005, and then also as a member of the NWO in 2020. Names don’t get as bloated or visually recognizable as Hogan. Whatever the consensus is now, Hogan remains one of the most decorated figures to have donned pro wrestling boots.

Colby Covington reacts to Hulk Hogan's death
Colby Covington reacts to Hulk Hogan’s death (Source: X)

For bossman Dana White, Hogan represented a class of icons in 1980s that were “Men’s men”, tough-as-nails pioneers in physical sports. However, for the UFC 170-pounder Colby Covington, it was a tad bit personal.

Despite a bloodied TKO loss during the UFC Tampa Fight Night headliner, Hogan, Covington, and his coach, Chael Sonnen, had a unique walkout in Tampa. So, on Thursday, the former interim welterweight champ wrote about it on his socials, as a remembrance.

Thank you for inspiring a whole generation of Real Americans Hulkster, Hulkamania will live forever.

Colby Covington via IG

Given the implications of the UFC on ESPN 63 get-together and one of 2024’s bloated walk-outs, ‘Chaos’ later shared locker room footage before the fight. It had Hogan telling that out of respect, he’d tread along behind him.

Covington said the whole of combat sports was his kingdom while Hogan retorted it’s his fight. Hence, the duo amicably settled a side-by-side walk carrying the flag, until he approached the fighter’s aisle. The fighter mentioned it’s these little tidbits that made the WWE legend relatable.

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