Ultimate Fighting Championship President and CEO Dana White has revealed an extraordinary act involving his childhood memories – purchasing the entire street where his grandparents once lived in Levant, Maine.
White, 55, who grew up in Connecticut, shared with the Bangor Daily News how his summers spent visiting family in Maine left such an impression that he decided to acquire every house on his grandparents’ street.
“My time up there meant so much to me and I loved the place so much that I bought up the whole street that my grandmother and grandfather live on,” White said. “I went house to house, knocked on everyone’s door and asked if they would sell me their house.”
The CEO, whose estimated net worth stands at $500 million, then made an unusual decision with the properties – he donated them to the local fire department to use in their training exercises. Wyatt Morrison, a lieutenant for the Levant Fire Department, confirmed that one of the homes on Phillips Road was burned down approximately five years ago, with another house meeting the same fate 10 to 15 years prior.
White now owns nine houses on the street, amassing 60 acres which he has consolidated into one property. His Maine real estate portfolio also includes 30 acres on nearby Kenduskeag Road, three acres on Black Stream Drive, and a property in Bangor that currently houses Umami Noodle Bar.
“I wanted my kids to experience the place and the people, and that’s why I invested so much in Maine,” White explained. “I continue to buy more and more property up there and I will until the day I die.”
The businessman now makes it a tradition to spend every Fourth of July with his family in Levant and frequently brings friends to vacation in the area. “I will go there every summer until I physically can’t go there anymore,” he said. “When I want to get away from everything, I go to Maine. Everything I love is in Maine.”
White’s presence has made an impact on the local community. In 2011, he donated $100,000 to his alma mater, Hermon High School, to upgrade its athletic complex. He also brought a UFC Fight Night event to the Cross Insurance Center in 2014, despite acknowledging it wasn’t financially advantageous for his company.
Beyond his Maine connections, White has recently taken on new ventures, including joining Meta’s board of directors. “I’ve used those tools to help build my businesses,” he explained. “Now, not only do I get to learn more from the inside, I actually have a hand in the future of it.”
