During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when companies across the globe were downsizing their workforce, UFC President Dana White stood firmly against the pressure to lay off his employees—even offering to sacrifice his own salary and bonus to protect their jobs.
“This after we did the Ultimate Fighter—the UFC was this rocket ship of success,” White explained in a conversation with Khloe Kardashian. “Here comes COVID, and you’re looking at laying off 38% of the staff.”
For White, who has built his reputation on unwavering loyalty, the decision was clear: “There’s no way in hell that I was going to let that happen. No way in hell. We were either gonna figure this out or we were gonna all go down together.”
White revealed the depth of his commitment to his team: “I put up my salary and my bonus if I was wrong and we couldn’t make it through COVID, then the company didn’t take the hit.”
The UFC president’s actions during this challenging period exemplified his philosophy on leadership and loyalty. “You don’t find out who’s who and what’s what until the shit hits the fan,” White stated. “We all love each other and we’re here until you hit hard times in any relationship. You don’t find out until you hit hard times.”
White attributes much of his business success to the strong bonds he’s formed with his team, many of whom have been with him for decades. “If you don’t have loyalty, what do you have?” he questioned. “Loyalty is a two-way street. They’ve been very loyal to me, and I’ve been very loyal to them.”
This approach has paid dividends for White and the UFC, which not only weathered the pandemic but continued to thrive while other sports organizations struggled to stay afloat.
