Dana White joins Messi and LeBron on TIME's inaugural 100 most influential people in sports list

UFC CEO Dana White has been named on TIME magazine’s inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in sports, joining a roster that includes LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani, Caitlin Clark, and Eileen Gu, as well as high-ranking sports executives Gianni Infantino and Roger Goodell. Two other combat sports figures also made the cut: boxing champions Oleksandr Usyk and Amanda Serrano.

White, 56, was also recently photographed for a TIME Magazine cover. In its write-up, the publication credited him with transforming the UFC from a fringe activity — famously labelled “human cockfighting” by Senator John McCain in 1996 — into a $1.5 billion global operation. TIME also highlighted the UFC’s recently signed seven-year, $7.7 billion media-rights deal with Paramount, which it said effectively doubled revenues from the promotion’s previous agreement with ESPN.

White has served as the UFC’s figurehead for over two decades, having been installed as president in 2001 when the promotion was purchased by his friends Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. He played a central role in the UFC’s $4 billion sale to WME-IMG in 2016, after which his title changed from president to CEO. In recent years he has also overseen other combat sports ventures, including Zuffa Boxing and Power Slap.

The recognition comes ahead of what White has billed as the most high-profile event in the UFC’s history: a fight card on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, held alongside close friend President Donald Trump. The main event is scheduled to feature Georgian-Spanish lightweight Ilia Topuria, ranked second pound-for-pound in the UFC, against American Justin Gaethje.

“We’re putting on the most historic sporting event in history,” White told TIME ahead of the event.