"I'd rather have seen the whole company burn and go down in flames" - Dana White refused to "dump" employees during COVID-19
Dana White has been credited for putting together UFC events when all major sports leagues around the world had shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even outside of sports, companies around the world resorted to downsizing, and people were suddenly left without jobs. However, that was not the case with UFC employees. White refused to 'dump' his employees when the world was going through one of the worst crises in human history.
Weighing in on the topic, the UFC head honcho explained that many of his employees have been working with him for as long as a decade or two. White said he'd rather have watched the UFC go down in flames than fire his employees in those trying times. The 53-year-old recently told Tucker Carlson on FOX News:
"A lot of my people around here have been with me for a long time, 10 to 20 years. And you know, we do events every weekend, these people work hard, they've been dedicated to this company, to me. And you know, if you look at [it] Covid's probably the scariest thing that ever happened in the history of my life.
And to all of a sudden, just dump my employees the minute something bad happens, it's just not the way that I'm built. It wasn't gonna happen no matter what. I'd rather have seen the whole company burn and go down in flames before I would hurt my employees."
Watch Dana White's comments at the 2:20 mark of the video below:
Dana White kept UFC alive during the lockdowns. He didn't cave to pressure. Here's how he did it. https://t.co/0Ra6ZJJAJc
"I’ll run you over" - Dana White's message to everyone slowing down during the pandemic
Most major sports promotions in the U.S. and around the world postponed their seasons in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic struck. However, UFC president Dana White insisted that the show must go on.
White even secured a private island in Abu Dhabi to stage UFC events while following COVID-19 safety norms. A year later, while other companies struggled with the lingering effects of the pandemic, the UFC became the first to welcome full-capacity fans at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, in April 2021.
Having arguably reached a new level of success, Dana White had a message for those unwilling to return to the 'new normal'. White said in an earlier interview with FOX News:
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s blowing my mind. But you know what, everybody that’s slowing down, everybody that is afraid or whatever their reason is for not wanting to get back to work, not wanting to run their business, not wanting to get back to normal in full capacity… I’ll run you all over. I’ll run you over. No problem.”
Watch White's interview below: