Dana White: There’s one guy who could replace me as UFC president (and it’s not Daniel Cormier)

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) wouldn’t be where it is today without its president, Dana White, whose mix of passion and ruthlessness pulled the promotion out of a financial tailspin and helped turn it into the juggernaut it is today.

But, some people have questioned whether we still need someone as brash and foul-mouthed as White running the show these days. That’s led to the follow up question: If not Dana White as head honcho, then who? Daniel Cormier’s name has come up a few times in the discussion since he’s well liked across UFC’s roster (aside from Jon Jones).

And Cormier has certainly proved he’s willing to push UFC’s narratives during interviews on his ESPN show. But, Dana White himself doesn’t see “DC” as that guy.

“Yeah, Daniel Cormier couldn’t do it,” White said in a recent interview with Barstool Sports. “I love Daniel, but Daniel couldn’t do it.

“It’s funny because I see people say that all the time and they think it’s this guy or that guy,” he continued. “But, it’s people that really don’t know anything about this business. And there’s so much more. What we do, there’s a formula to what we do and why we’ve been successful.

“And there is a guy, there’s one guy that [can replace me]” White added. “And there’s certain things that I do that he wouldn’t be able to do, but the important things that get done over there is what really matters. And this guy could absolutely, positively, do it.”

When asked who he was talking about, White demurred.

“Nobody would even know who the f—k he is,” he said. “He’s a behind-the-scenes guy.”

So maybe you get this guy as your behind-the-scenes mover and shaker while sending Cormier out to be the carnival barker? Eh, it’s not even something to seriously consider for a long time. White is just 52 years old, and we’ve seen guys like Bob Arum continue to run his promotion empire at 90. So, don’t get your hopes up that White is about to exit stage left any time soon.