In a recent interview with British Journalist Piers Morgan, UFC boss Dana White, revealed the passing away of both of his parents. They were not on the best of terms, and as such, White had apparent apathy toward their death. He did have a difficult time talking about his relationship with his parents, yet gave a rare insight into his own family life.
“My parents taught me a lot about what I didn’t want to be as a parent … and uhh … yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this, but my parents both died recently,” Said White hesitatingly. “I’m good with it,” White continued. “I focus a lot on my kids and my relationship with them, and I sort of put my relationship with my parents behind me.”
“When they passed away I had almost no feelings about it to be honest with you.”
Dana White reveals he recently lost both of his parents, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship.
Watch the full interview at 8pm@piersmorgan | @danawhite | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/RJtzvwinEx
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) September 14, 2023
On being asked by Morgan about his mental state and the feelings aroused in him by the devastating news of his parents; White had an apathetic response, “When they passed away, I had almost no feelings about it, to be honest with you.” Said White. This lack of empathy was probably due to the irreconcilable differences that gradually put a permanent wedge in their relationship.
White’s reaction to his parent’s death might be less shocking to the ones who read his mother’s book released in 2011.
Dana White had a tumultuous relationship with his parents
Dana White started drifting away from his parents, especially after his mother, June White, published an unauthorized biography about his life in May 2011. It was titled “Dana White, King of MMA.” In order to promote the book, she did an interview that was particularly scathing of White’s behavior in the past.
She particularly talked about his tendency to behave as a vindictive tyrant after his rise to fame. “I don’t want to take anything away from him, for what he’s done for MMA and the UFC. I mean, Dana has a high school education, and that’s it. I think it’s pretty amazing, the things he’s been able to do in MMA and the UFC, but he’s not a good person,” June said in a 2011 interview.
“He seems to have lost his character somewhere along the way. He mistreats people. It’s terrible the way he speaks to women and treats women. That really bothers me, because I don’t believe I’ve ever brought him up to behave like that.” She continued.
The unauthorized book and the interview from 2011 probably served as the final straw, after which White seems to have cut all contact with his parents. Dana White most likely didn’t even attend the funeral services of his parents and especially had nothing to do with the arrangement of his mother’s funeral. White said he had “nothing to do with any of her [service] when she passed away.”
This news comes in the light of UFC’s merger with the WWE, where White and Vince McMahon will work together.