Had no feelings when they passed: Dana White on death of his parents

18 September 2023

In a candid interview with Piers Morgan, UFC CEO Dana White opened up about his upbringing and the complex relationship he had with his parents, revealing that both of them recently passed away. White, known for his role in shaping the UFC, shared insights into how his challenging family dynamics influenced his life and career.

When asked about his feelings regarding his parents' passing, White responded, "I don't know. I'm good with it. I focus a lot on my kids and my relationship with them, and I've sort of put my relationship with my parents behind me. No, I didn't feel sad when they died. Well, I didn't wish ill will on either one of my parents, but no, I didn't. When they passed away, I had almost no feelings about it, to be honest."

White did not provide a direct answer regarding his attendance at his father's funeral service, simply stating, "I took care of my father and moved him up to Maine, put him to rest with his family up there. My mother, I had nothing to do with any of her funeral arrangements. Her family handled her when she passed away."

Despite the complexities of his relationship with his parents, White emphasized that he doesn't regret his upbringing and believes it played a pivotal role in shaping his character. He stated, "I don't like talking about it, but I would say yes, absolutely my relationship with my parents definitely made me who I am today in many different ways. Not just in business, but as a father too, so I wouldn't change my upbringing, not one thing about it. I can't deny the fact that the way I am built... the drive, and all the things that I have, definitely come from the relationship that I had with my parents. There's no doubt, but I have no remorse. I don't feel bad about the way I grew up."

During the interview, White briefly touched upon his experiences with marital issues, acknowledging that long marriages often involve challenges. He mentioned a particular incident when he was caught on camera hitting his wife, stating, "I've been married for almost 30 years. You go through a lot of things in a marriage; I mean, I just went through some stuff last New Year's Eve. You know, these things happen."

White's strained relationship with his mother, June White, has been publicly documented, with her authoring a controversial book about her son titled "Dana White, King of MMA: An unauthorized biography" in 2011. The book contained critical claims about Dana White's character, alleging infidelity, domestic violence, and mistreatment of women. In the interview, June White asserted, "Dana has a high school education, and that's it. I think it's pretty amazing, the things he's been able to do in MMA and the UFC, but he's not a good person. He seems to have lost his character somewhere along the way."

While Dana White rarely discusses his personal life, this interview provided a rare glimpse into the complex family dynamics that have influenced his journey as a prominent figure in the world of mixed martial arts.