Dana White is standing at the base of an illuminated Lincoln Memorial, dark blue polo tight around his arms, police chopper circling overhead, and everywhere else a chaotic swirl of SWAT, National Guard and crazed UFC fans … many of whom have been soaked while waiting through a thunderstorm delay.
Then, his message for Sunday’s blockbuster.
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“No matter what, we’re going,” White shouts from behind the podium, and while flanked by Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira and those dozen other marauders set to throw down on the White House lawn.
“I don’t care if it rains, snows, whatever happens, we have a fight …”
Which to be fair, is no small claim.
Especially given this UFC press conference he’s fronting right now, it’s been delayed an hour by rain. Lightning, too.
Some of which is still exploding out over the Washington Monument as Fox Sports Australia arrives on one of two media shuttles, before then passing through security for what has to be our most armed, and aureate, fight event ever.
And risky?
Out past the big screens and barricades, a section of White’s ‘Just Bleed’ crowd are soaked.
Same as somewhere off in nondescript offices, those pesky meteorologists continue to tip not only rain, but also a high probability of – gasp – thunderstorms for Sunday’s scraps.
Regardless, the fella famed for betting big remains undeterred.
“I’m sick of hearing about the weather and all the other bulls***,” White continues as ‘ol Honest Abe watches down. “We’re fighting on Sunday night on The White House lawn no matter what.”
Which wonderfully, means UFC Freedom 250 has just gone and earned itself an eighth bout in the backyard of President Trump.
Dana White versus Mother Nature.
Which is some sort of slobberknocker, right?
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Understanding that while Father Time may be undefeated … well, not far behind is this UFC president who has made his name, and so much more, on an uncanny ability to continually roll the dice – and win.
Indeed, and after having spent years voicing his disdain at outdoor venues, White is now going all in on a UFC Freedom 250 event where the risks go well beyond those countless bucketloads of predicted rain.
What if, for example, the gnats come in biblical plaques? Or the humidity goes full tilt in a town built on old swamp land.
Hell, what if Fan Man comes crashing into the Octagon just like on that night in ‘93, when Evander Holyfield fought Riddick Bowe outside at Ceasars Palace?
Undeniably, White is aware of not only this, but everything else that comes with holding fistfights in the backyard of a mate whose red MAGA caps aren’t exactly popular everywhere.
And still, he is rolling the dice anyway.
Which again, goes to the heart of who this famed Las Vegan is, right?
With a much younger – and poorer — White having not only gambled when initially helping snare the UFC for $2 million, or then pitching The Ultimate Fighter, but signing Ronda Rousey, running the UFC through Covid, even choosing to align with Trump when plenty urged him against it.
And now, eight fist fights on the South Lawn.
“Tell me a bigger story in sports,” the promoter challenged this week.
And while standing inside a media scrum where Fox League’s Matty Johns had already, and to much laughter, joked about how “we’ve come a long way Dana … don’t f*** this up”.
Which in truth, also defines this whole shebang.
Understanding that if you want to talk about really coming a long way, look no further than White’s own rise from Boston bellhop to arguably the greatest fighter promoter anywhere on planet earth.
Once run out of his hometown by Whitey Bulger, this unfiltered Las Vegas fight boss is now on the cover of no less than Time magazine and in the ear of no less than President Trump.
Put simply, White’s ability to sell “holy s***” moments has created a $17 billion empire.
Same deal, his willingness to bet big.
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In fact, chatting years ago in his sprawling Las Vegas office, White confided to us that of all the incredible pieces in his room – think Samurai swords, Joe Louis ticket stubs, even a sabre tooth tiger skull — his most prized possession was a small, glass trophy.
One which picked from a shelf as he spoke, was awarded way back in 2010 … and after winning $250,000 in the first, and only, blackjack tournament he’d ever entered.
“Wanna be buried with that thing,” White told me.
And for good reason, too.
With this avid gambler going on to explain how after starting said tournament among 50 other players, most of whom were professionals, White eventually found himself sometime later down to the last five guys.
“Which is when one of them comes up to me,” he recounted, “giving some bulls*** small talk before saying, ‘So you know how this works right?’.
“And I say, ‘No, I don’t know how this works’.
“So this guy, he starts explaining how whenever these professionals get to the last table, they always split the money. Everyone on the last table, they just split the prize money between them.”
To which White replied simply: “Man, you got the wrong f…ing guy”.
“So now I’ve got the whole table playing to beat me,” the UFC boss continued, smile widening at the memory. “It’s why I wanted this trophy even more than the money.”
Why ever since too, it has remained on display in his office.
With that same mindset now driving everything that is scrapping on the White House lawn.
Dubbed UFC Freedom 250, Sunday’s event – which airs live into Australia on Monday – is serving as the unofficial opening to a summerlong celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
And on no less than Trump’s 80th birthday, too.
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Of course, the event pays homage to the rise and rise of White, too.
A fella who, in his own tellingly, moved to Las Vegas in 1995 – where he had already lived for a time as a kid, and with his single mum – due to associates of notorious mobster Bulger attempting to extort him.
Working initially as a manager to a small group of MMA fighters, including Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, White came to learn the UFC was close to bankruptcy and so persuaded an old school mate, Lorenzo Fertitta, and his older brother Frank – sons of a casino operator – to buy it.
Which they did, and for $2 million.
A sum not lost on anyone when the trio finally sold up to the WME/IMG group in 2016, for $4 billion.
Once unable to get onto American pay-per-view when even pornography was, White’s ability to transform the battling MMA franchise is one of sport’s most incredible stories.
A rise which, starting with that undeniable throw at the stumps which was The Ultimate Fighter, has since exploded in a swirl of blood, violence, controversy, and eventually mainstream popularity – especially through names like Rousey, Conor McGregor, Joe Rogan … and of course, White.
More recently, the UFC boss has also received attention for his tight friendship with Trump, which has undeniably been beneficial for both.
Call it a bond which began way back in 2001, when White was struggling to find venues for his still battling UFC franchise, thanks largely to the public stigma still surrounding mixed martial arts.
At which point, the then New York businessman offered up his Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
And just like that, they were away.
Of course, more recently, White has also been credited with playing a key role in Trumps re-election after sorting appearances on programs popular with the UFC’s key demographic — young men.
Think Adin Ross, Theo Von, the Nelk Boys … and eventually, those three hours on the Joe Rogan Podcast, which generated a staggering 62 million views.
During a sit-down interview with Fox Sports Australia back in January, we asked White how anybody manages to build so much respect with an American president, you get to host fistfights in his backyard.
“Hmmm, great question,” the promoter started, before taking a short pause.
“What I can tell you is that the president and I have a friendship that isn’t transactional.
“Before he ran for president, I didn’t want anything but his friendship. And after he ran for president, his whole first term, nothing.
“Because I’m not looking for anything from him and he’s not looking for anything from me. We’re friends.”
Asked if such relationships become harder to find when you’re reportedly worth $700 million, White grinned and continued: “Good point.
“And it is true.
“But he’s always just been a UFC fan. Honestly, the president watches all our f***ing fights … [laughs] even Don Jnr has told me, ‘You’re the only person I’ve ever seen my dad bro out with’.”
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So what chance Mother Nature now ruins it all? Like maybe she really could deliver the craziest female stoppage since Holly Holm effectively headkicked Ronda Rousey out of the sport?
Or maybe it’s the gnats, or the heat, or Fan Man? Or maybe those weathermen are right?
Understanding that at the time of writing, no less than the National Weather Service is listing the chances of fight night rain at 60 per cent, “with showers and thunderstorms likely after 5pm”.
Yep, thunderstorms.
Elsewhere, another Washington DC weather predictor has the chances of UFC White House rain at 80 per cent, while also tipping thunderstorms around the event’s start time of eight o’clock.
All of which White has always known could happen.
A truth proved that same day in his office where, over near the small, glass trophy, we also noted a large faux heavyweight championship belt.
One awarded by Palms Casino staff, White said, after taking them, and for a second time, of almost $2 million.
“Which was their polite way of saying,” he grinned, “‘don’t f…ing come back’”.