With Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) now under new ownership after a $4 billion sale that saw Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta sell the company to WME-IMG, plenty of changes are bound to come.
One thing that won't change, is who will be leading the way as president, as Dana White inked a five-year deal that will see him collect nine-percent of UFC's profits.
It's a move that makes sense, according to UFC co-founder Campbell McLaren, as he tells Forbes despite the fact that the promotion has countless stars such as Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, just to name a few; White is the real star of the show because he's been the driving force behind it for quite some time.
"Who's the real star of the UFC? Is it Ronda, is it Conor, or is it Dana? You know, I would have to say that it's Dana. No one sits on the fence with him — you either love him, or you don't. He's been the face, the heart and soul, of the UFC. He understands fighters and he understands fans — and fans so associate Dana with the UFC, I can't imagine him not being with it in the future."
Obviously, the fighters are what makes the sport go around, but according to Campbell, White is what makes UFC click the way it does thanks to his unfiltered attitude, aggressive style and work ethic.
After his five-year contract comes to an end, there is not telling what will become of White or if someone else will step in to replace him. But, for the next five years, White will continue to promote the big fights and push the company forward.
Some, though, feel he may need to work on his image problem now that the company is under new ownership.