• Dana White grew the UFC into a multibillion-dollar company after acquiring it in 2001.
• In that time, White also became a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump.
• Now, he is joining Meta's board of directors.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White has been on quite the journey over the last two decades.

From managing MMA fighters to appearing at the Republican National Convention three times to support President-elect Donald Trump, White has become a global figure in both sports and politics.

And now he's entered the sphere of Big Tech, joining the board of directors at Mark Zuckerberg's Meta.

Here's how White went from a small-time trainer to the board of one of the world's most influential tech companies in just a few years.

White purchases the UFC in 2001 for $2 million.

White started out as a boxing trainer in Las Vegas and then Boston before shifting focus to mixed martial arts, he told Forbes in a 2014 interview.

Eventually, White managed MMA fighters who participated in UFC bouts, which resulted in a contract dispute with the UFC. White told the outlet that the contract dispute motivated him to find a way to beat the UFC.

His plan involved two of his childhood friends, Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.

"I ended up finding that out, that they're in trouble, and they're probably going to go out of business," White said, referring to the UFC. "And I'd been to a [UFC] event, and I was looking around and thinking, 'Imagine if they did this, and imagine if they did that. This thing could actually be really big.'"

So, White said, he called his friends and suggested that together they try to buy the UFC.

The brothers founded Zuffa, LLC and purchased the UFC for $2 million in 2001. White took over as president and received a 9% stake. He then began to turn the company into an MMA juggernaut.

That year, White hosted a UFC battle at the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal casino and resort in Atlantic City.

White told The Hill in 2018 that the UFC's popularity grew, in part, because of Trump's early support. When he first purchased the UFC, the company, as well as mixed martial arts more broadly, the sport faced criticism for its violent fighting style.

"Any good thing that happened to me in my career, Donald Trump was the first to pick up the phone and call and say 'congratulations,'" he told the outlet.

White takes the UFC mainstream.

Under its new leadership, the UFC gradually became a mainstream success. MMA stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey attracted more attention to the sport, which led to more ticket sales and higher revenue.

In 2016, the company said it raked in $17.7 million in ticket sales, and over 20,400 guests attended UFC 205, its inaugural event in New York City. UFC 306, held last September in Las Vegas, generated $22 million in ticket sales.

The official UFC website said its programming is now broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to over one billion households worldwide. BetMGM, a sports betting partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain Holding, valued the UFC at $12 billion in November 2024.

White faces controversy as head of the UFC.

White's time with the UFC hasn't been seamless. Some fighters have accused White of underpaying them.

Last October, a Las Vegas judge approved a class action settlement that requires the UFC to pay $375 million to fighters who accused the UFC, and its parent company, of violating antitrust laws to block rival promoters and maintain exclusive deals with fighters. The UFC and White have denied any wrongdoing.

Some also criticized White for his push to hold UFC events during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and after a video published by TMZ showed him slapping his wife, Anne White, in 2023.

The UFC is sold in a multibillion-dollar deal.

The Fertitta brothers sold the UFC in 2016 for just under $4 billion. White remained its president after the sale and became CEO in 2023 after the UFC's parent company merged with WWE to create TKO Group Holdings.

White remains the face of the UFC, which often attracts celebrities and other big-name figures to events. Trump attended UFC 309 after winning the presidential election in November. Elon Musk, Kid Rock, and Joe Rogan also appeared.

Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon's Jeff Bezos have also attended UFC fights.

White told The Hill in 2018 that he would "never say anything negative about Donald Trump because he was there when other people weren't."

White joins Trump's inner circle.

White has advocated for Trump and his political positions since the beginning of the president-elect's political career. He spoke onstage during the 2016 Republican National Convention, appeared virtually in 2020, and again at the most recent convention in 2024.

White has also appeared at Trump campaign events and gave a speech during Trump's 2024 presidential election night event.

"Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does. This is what happens when the machine comes after you," White said, according to The Hill.

White called Trump a "fighter."

"I'm in the tough guy business, and this man is the toughest, most resilient human being that I've ever met in my life," he said, standing among Trump's family.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta appoints White to its board of directors.

Meta announced in January that White and two others would join its board of directors.

"I've never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta's board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future," White said in a statement. "I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level."

Zuckerberg's interest in MMA and the UFC has helped foster a relationship between the two men. Like White, Zuckerberg has also supported Trump and his policy positions. Zuckerberg recently announced Meta would roll back DEI efforts and dial back content moderation.

Zuckerberg told Rogan on his podcast last week that he is "optimistic" about Trump's potential impact on American businesses.

Representatives for the UFC did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Spencer Pratt is coming to the defense of fellow Los Angeles wildfire victim Mandy Moore after criticism over a recent GoFundMe plea on behalf of her in-laws.

“Let me tell you about Mandy Moore. Mandy Moore, when I was younger, shout-out Mandy Moore. She booked my hotel for me because she was such a nice friend. Just as a friend, she booked my hotel in New York — I had never been to New York. I feel like she even booked my flight because I was so much fun to be around. Mandy Moore, I will ride for Mandy Moore,” Pratt, 41, said in a TikTok posted on Saturday, January 11. “ If I see one more TikTok about Mandy Moore and GoFundMes, I’m going to start coming after you guys. You want beef with your worst nightmare, which is me right now? You post about Mandy Moore. I will ride for Mandy Moore.”

Moore, 40, whose Altadena neighborhood suffered tremendous loss in the wildfires ravaging Southern California, received backlash from social media followers after she shared a GoFundMe campaign in support of her brother-in-law’s family.

“Yesterday, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Griff and Kit [Goldsmith] lost their home and everything they own in the Eaton Fire,” the This Is Us alum wrote via Instagram on Thursday, January 9. “With their first baby on the way in a matter of weeks, they need our support now more than ever.”

Celebrities Share Personal Photos of Heartbreaking Los Angeles Wildfires

Some users had apparently taken issue with a celebrity asking for money, to which Moore said, “And people questioning whether we’re helping out our own family or attributing some arbitrary amount of money Google says someone has is NOT helpful or empathetic. Of course we are. Our buddy Matt [Koma] started this go fund me [sic] and i’m sharing because people have asked how they can help them. We just lost most of our life in a fire too. Kindly F OFF. No one is forcing you to do anything.”

Pratt stood by Moore in his video post, reasserting she’s “the nicest frickin’ lady ever.”

“Mandy Moore doesn’t do anything wrong,” he said, noting he’s known her for two decades. “If you were nice in 2004, you’re still nice in 2025. Like I’m talking so nice. So, don’t you dare come for Mandy Moore.”

He continued, “Maybe delete your content about Mandy Moore because Mandy Moore is a real one.She’s a great human. She’s not doing anything out of pocket — she’s posting GoFundMes, that’s great. She doesn’t have to pay for whoever. She’s got her own life, probably her own kids, so don’t you come for Mandy Moore.”

Moore, who shares three kids with her husband, Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith, lost part of her home in the wildfires. “We were able to park and walk up our street to bear witness to all the loss. Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now,” Moore wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

She added, “It’s not livable but mostly intact. We lost Taylor and Griffin’s studio with every instrument and piece of equipment they’ve ever owned. We lost our garage and back house. Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone. My in-laws. My brother and sister-in-law- 6 weeks from welcoming their first baby. Our best friends. Feeling weird survivor’s guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support. Thanks for everyone for checking on us and offering us help. Altadena strong.”

Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, also lost their Pacific Palisades home in the blaze, which first broke out on Tuesday, January 7. The Hills alums said by the time their house burned down, they had already evacuated with their two children, sons Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 13 months.

In a video shared by Montag, 38, via TikTok on Thursday, the couple revealed the few items that remained of their house after the fire, which were all contained in a single plastic bag.

“The Hummingbird pot — with some nectar cooked into it,” Pratt said in the video, along with “one [rubber] snake from the backyard, one crystal from the backyard, [another] crystal from the backyard, Ryker’s shovel from the backyard and broken pieces.” (Pratt owns a Pratt Daddy Crystals business.)

Which Stars Have Been Affected by the Los Angeles Fires?

Other celebrities, including Miles Teller, Ricki Lake, Bryan Greenberg and Jamie Chung, lost homes in the natural disaster, as well.

“Was supposed to be our forever home, but nothing lasts forever,” Greenberg, 46, shared on Instagram. “Thankfully our family is safe, however, other LA fire victims aren’t as fortunate. Please donate to them if you can.”

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire alerts and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

Goosebumps kept the scares coming but after that unexpected anthology twist — what does that mean for season 3?

“When we switched into an anthology, it really fit what Goosebumps is. So if you’re fan of the books, you know that R.L. Stine doesn’t write happily ever after at the end of the books,” executive producer Rob Letterman exclusively told Us Weekly. “In fact, he goes out of his way not to do that. He leaves it with a cliffhanger or a twist.”

The Disney+ series adapted the same approach on screen. “When we looked at the ending of season 1, it just kind of felt like the perfect Goosebumps ending for what that story line was,” Letterman said about switching the story up for season 2.

Goosebumps, which premiered in October 2023, was introduced as a show that followed five teenagers who had to work together after accidentally releasing supernatural forces into their small town. The first season featured Isa Briones, Ana Yi Puig, Zack Morris, Miles McKenna and Will Price as the show’s protagonists.

TV Shows Turned Into an Anthology Series After Getting Renewed

The show was in for a shakeup though when it turned into an anthology. Season 2 centered around twins (Sam McCarthy and Jayden Bartels) who are sent to spend a summer in Brooklyn with their divorced dad (David Schwimmer) whose plant-testing takes a sinister turn.

“Season 2 we wanted to swing the pendulum and do something different. But we also wanted fans of the first season to feel comfortable in the model of what the storytelling was. So that’s how we kept that structure of a mystery we have to unpack,” Letterman told Us. “We liked that framing device but we wanted to tell something totally new and fresh. It’s a nice balancing act for keeping the familiarity of the Goosebumps TV series going while doing it as an anthology.”

The second installment was released on Friday, January 11, and it took inspiration from several books including Stay Out of the Basement, The Ghost Next Door, The Boy Who Cried Monster, Monster Blood and The Haunted Car. While the main friend group — which was made up of Elijah M. Cooper, Galilea La Salvia, Francesca Noel, Stony Blyden, McCarthy and Bartels — were able to defeat the evil, the season still hinted that the sinister parts at play were still a threat.

So will season 3 be able to answer any questions audiences were left with after the finale? “We don’t think that far into the future. We’re one day at a time process,” Letterman noted to Us. “But yes, of course, and you can do anything you want with Goosebumps. That is what is cool about it.”

Every 'Goosebumps' Books Easter Egg Featured in Disney+'s TV Adaptation

According to Letterman and fellow executive producer Hilary Winston, there could even be a Goosebumps “multiverse.” The cast, meanwhile, also weighed in on whether they would return for future episodes despite signing onto an anthology show.

“There are so many stories and it really depends on what the fans want and how they respond,” Noel hinted to Us. “We are here for it. We love these characters and obviously I think the last season also loved their characters. The world is big and we’re here to play.”

Goosebumps is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

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Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills took care of business in the wild-card round on Sunday afternoon, as they dominated the Denver Broncos, 31-7, to move on to the divisional round. 

The Bills will now host the Baltimore Ravens next week to see who will have a spot in the AFC Championship. 

The Bills were the heavy favorites in this game considering rookie quarterback Bo Nix was going to play his first playoff game on the road against a veteran Buffalo squad when it came to January football. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

But just like he has all season, this game began with Nix trusting his talent and launching a 43-yard strike to his old Oregon teammate Troy Franklin to put Denver up 7-0. 

However, while the "Bills Mafia" wasn’t too happy about that start to the contest, they knew Allen, their MVP frontrunner, wasn’t going to let them down. 

What ensued was 31 unanswered points by Buffalo, which began with a field goal and touchdown on the team’s first two offensive drives. 

DERRICK HENRY, RAVENS RUN WILD FOR WIN OVER STEELERS IN NFL PLAYOFFS

The first touchdown for the Bills was scored by none other than James Cook, who co-led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns on the season. He capped a 13-play drive with a five-yard barrel into the end zone to make it 10-7. 

Cook finished the game with 120 yards rushing on 23 carries against a Denver defense that has been one of the best in the league all season. 

Thanks to long, methodical Bills drives, the first half ended with Broncos kicker Wil Lutz smacking the goal post with an attempted field goal to tie the game at 10 apiece, and that was just about as close to scoring as the Broncos would see the rest of the game. 

Buffalo scored on every second-half drive except to kneel down at the end of the game, which included touchdown passes from Allen to Ty Johnson on a ridiculous throw and catch from 24 yards out, and Curtis Samuel breaking free for a 55-yard score to truly seal the victory at 28-7 as the fourth quarter began. 

In the end, Allen was an efficient 20-for-26 for 272 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for 46 yards on eight carries. 

Samuel was his best receiver in terms of yards thanks to that huge gain. He finished with 68, while Khalil Shakir had six catches for 61 yards. 

Meanwhile, Nix was 13-for-22 for 144 yards with one touchdown, while also rushing for 43 yards. The Bills were stingy when the Broncos tried to establish a run game, holding the Broncos to a total 79 yards.

Courtland Sutton was Denver’s top receiver per usual, hauling in five catches for 75 yards. 

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