“He slapped me across the face,” UFC and WWE owner reveals how Dana White’s demand for ‘Fight Island’ secured $1.5 billion ESPN deal during COVID-19

Endeavor group CEO Ari Emanuel talks Dana White's courageous decision that secured a huge ESPN deal

“He slapped me across the face,” UFC and WWE owner reveals how Dana White’s demand for ‘Fight Island’ secured $1.5 billion ESPN deal during COVID-19

Ari Emanuel talks about Dana White's boldness that secured a huge deal for the UFC(Image courtesy: MMA Weekly)

UFC President Dana White and media agency Endeavor owner Ari Emanuel makes a shocking revelation about the journey to secure a $1.5 billion ESPN deal during Covid-19. In a recent podcast with Jay Shetty, the UFC and WWE owner explained how White helped to keep the boat afloat during tough times.

In a podcast with Jay Shetty, Emanuel recounted the moment Dana White made the call to keep the UFC running even during COVID – 19 lockdown. “I got scared and he like slapped me across the face and said that we’re going. He demanded to get him an island,” said Ari on the podcast. “Dana was amazing and I was on the other side of the fence,” continued the businessman.

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Further, Emanuel spoke about how this ballsy move changed the landscape of UFC’s future. UFC secured a $1.5 billion ESPN deal during Covid 19. He said that if not for Dana White the company would have to shut down. The UFC saw success like no other sports company in the world.

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UFC was one of the corporations which kept going even during the difficulties of Covid-19. UFC fight island became famous among fight fans who were stuck in lockdowns. Dana White has always opted for courageous decisions which have made UFC the organization it is today.

Related: “You got to put money in that f***ing thing?” Dana White shocked after learning power-punching machine comes with a price

Dana White names his top 5 UFC fighters

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UFC President Dana White(Image courtesy: MMA Weekly)

Dana White appeared on Mike Tyson‘s podcast, where they touched on various topics like the GOAT(Greatest fighter of all time) list. White has led UFC for many years and has come across various legendary fighters. It was interesting to know about Dana White’s top UFC 5 fighters of all time.

White’s picks involved UFC women’s bantamweight champions, Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes. Further, White added some male fighters like Kamaru Usman, Chuck Lidell, and Matt Hughes. All these names have created a major impact in the combat world. White felt that it was difficult to name just 5 because the UFC has hosted a lot of elite fighters in its history.

The likes of Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Georges St-Pierre are widely considered UFC GOATs. Though the UFC might have skipped the obvious picks for greatest of all time, there have been several other occasions where White gave them their deserved credits.

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