In the present day, Dana White and Vince McMahon are essentially
part of the same team. That wasn’t always the case.
“My history with Vince isn’t a good one,” White told
Sports Illustrated. “He tried to f—k me so many times for no
reason whatsoever except just to f—k me. But that’s in the past.
Now that Vince and I are allies, no one’s been a better partner
than Vince.”
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The UFC and World World Wrestling Entertainment
officially merged under the parent company TKO Group Holdings
in September. White became UFC CEO as a result, but his duties
haven’t changed significantly, while McMahon remains executive
chairman of WWE. What has changed is the relationship between the
two company heads.
“Since Day 1 of the deal, it’s like I’m dealing with a different
guy,” White said. “It goes to show that when you oppose him, or he
thinks you are opposing him, the guy comes after you blindly. Once
you are aligned, Vince is an incredible partner.
“We’ve probably spoken on the phone 20 times since the deal. It’s
all added-value conversation — with Vince doing work and raising
the bar for both companies.”
In past years, White had positive interactions with WWE executives
Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon —even while he was
at odds with Vince. Now, White has nothing but praise for the WWE
boss.
“Vince McMahon, man, he’s an absolute savage,” White said. “Even
with the stuff that went down with us in the past, I respect it. I
love killers. He’s definitely a killer. He’s the Michael Jordan of
the business world.