Ultimate Fighter

By R. Thomas Umstead

Dana White Took on Boxing and Pro Wrestling — and Kicked and Punched His Way to the Top of TV’s Fight Game.

Tito Ortiz has fought many tough title fights in one of this country’s fastest growing sports, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He’s a former champion.

But tentatively next month he’ll step into the ring to fight one of his most difficult opponents: Dana White.

White is not your typical UFC combatant. In fact, he’s not a fighter at all. But he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep Ortiz in the ring. Even if it means taking a few punches to the head and kicks to the body. Ortiz asked for the hand-to-hand combat — and had it written into his contract.

White signed that contract. You see, White is the president of the UFC, a multimillion-dollar mixed martial arts sports franchise that’s very quickly challenging pro boxing and wrestling for the title of king of televised ring sports.

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