How did Dana White meet/befriend 2 billionaire casino owners?

[VenomCarnage]

In all my time watching MMA I've never known the answer to this question, and it's always bothered me.

When someone asks me "what is Dana White's story?" I always think of a struggling gym owner who was running boxercise classes for soccer moms and young lads in Boston. It's well documented that Whitey Bulger's gang ran him out of town via extorting him for "protection money" for the gym.

The story is that Lorenzo was a "childhood friend", but Lorenzo was raised in Las Vegas!? Lorenzo then went to college in San Diego and University in New York. To my knowledge, Dana never ended up in New York, and instead later moved to Las Vegas after the extortion incident.

How did these guys ever cross paths?

I find it odd for billionaire playboys who's family ran casinos in Vegas for decades, somehow entrusted the Presidential role of their business to a run of the mill Boxing Gym Coach without a penny to his name.

Bizarre series of events, anyone know more?

 

[helltoupee]

I was always under the impression that they went to high school together, but who knows?

 

[VinceArch]

I don't think they were quite billionaires when they were kids growing up with Dana.

 

[Sonny Qc]

They were both invited to a marriage
(commun friend from HS I think)

Dana told Lorenzo is was giving boxing lesson to rich business man like him.
Lorenzo took a few class, met John Lewis who was training with Tito and Chuck.

They started managing them,
when Dana was negociating for a Tito fight,
He learned that the UFC was going bankrupt.

/

 

[Sonny Qc]

I was always under the impression that they went to high school together, but who knows?

yep

 

[Trifick]

It's never gonna happen for you, Venom Carnage. Sorry.

 

[Rea_ctor]

White attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas where met and became friends with fellow boxing fan Lorenzo Fertitta. Along with olderbrother Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo became a boxing fan from attending events with their father, Frank FertittaJr., a successful former casino executive.
Dana White - Biography - IMDb

 

[mmahorse]

White attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas where met and became friends with fellow boxing fan Lorenzo Fertitta.
but Dana went to Boston after

when Dana came back to vegas
They did boxing and MMA together.
and during this time Dana was an agent for a fighter that was in the UFC .
Dana found out that
the Ufc was going out of business, so Dana pitched it to Lorenzo

 

[Krixes]

This would be a great Hollywood script...

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Lorenzo and Dana went to high school together. Both were dorks that no one liked, which ultimately became the fuel for their massive success in life. They ran into eachother at a wedding while Dana was on the lam teaching boxercise, and Lorenzo had just gotten on with NSAC (not sure what his role was). The Fertittas started attending Dana's classes and they all bonded over how much they love money and desire to use massive amounts of TRT when they get older. Dana, being an opportunistic vulture, took advantage of being friends with a rich guy(s) and convinced them to purchase the UFC, which ultimately turned out to be a great idea for all involved (except for the fighters with CTE and no health insurance or retirement whose backs the company was built on.)

 

[knock_you_out]

Yes, I also heard that Dana and Lorenzo went to the same high school.

 

[Electrifyin1]

I imagine Dana spent a lot of time on his knees...

 

[Fluffernutter]

The correct term is "Super Casino Bros"

 

[VenomCarnage]

I don't think they were quite billionaires when they were kids growing up with Dana.

Their entire family lineage had money, they were likely rich growing up.

That said, how do rich kids from Vegas "grow up" with poor kids from Boston?

 

[VenomCarnage]

White attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas where met and became friends with fellow boxing fan Lorenzo Fertitta. Along with olderbrother Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo became a boxing fan from attending events with their father, Frank FertittaJr., a successful former casino executive.
Dana White - Biography - IMDb

Interesting...

So he was born in Connecticut, lived in Ware, MA but then ended up in high school in Vegas? What a bizarre move.

Then got some success with his gym and went back to MA? Then got ran out of town by Bulger and went back to Vegas?

Just odd.

 

[Rea_ctor]

Interesting...

So he was born in Connecticut, lived in Ware, MA but then ended up in high school in Vegas? What a bizarre move.

Then got some success with his gym and went back to MA? Then got ran out of town by Bulger and went back to Vegas?

Just odd.

Ran back to where he feel safe maybe, the Fertittas were dodgy as shit and probably not to be messed with.

 

[illclint]

White attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas where met and became friends with fellow boxing fan Lorenzo Fertitta. Along with olderbrother Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo became a boxing fan from attending events with their father, Frank FertittaJr., a successful former casino executive.
Dana White - Biography - IMDb

So Dana didn't grow up in Boston? I wonder how he acquired that accent so easily. Must be a Madonna-type.

 

[AWilder]

My sister went to high school with Roy Nelson in Las Vegas. True story. He was known as big country even then. They weren't good friends or anything.

 

[Ruke Doufus]

Dinner for schmucks situation I reckon. How he transformed that into a lasting situation is the real mystery.

 

[ThatGuy7698]

Dana showed them the Angel grapefruit technique.