UFC President Dana White recently appeared on the Jim Rome Show to promote UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—his latest effort to bring structure, rankings, and mainstream attention to the grappling world.
While discussing the project, White revealed his personal connection to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and reflected on how it shaped his journey in combat sports.
“Every man who thinks he can fight or, you know, has some level of confidence with handling himself, the first time that you take a Brazilian jiu-jitsu, uh, you know, lesson with, with a black belt, it is the most eye-opening experience of all time,” he said. “And, uh, then as you start, you start with, you know, start to get into it is it is, it is, you become addicted to it. It is a fascinating sport.”
That transformative moment, according to White, was one of the catalysts for acquiring the UFC.
“Me and the Fertitas ended up buying the UFC because of Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” White explained. “We got into it, started to meet some of the martial artists, and then we became so obsessed with it that, you know, it ended up leading us to buy the UFC.”
The new venture, UFC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is designed to bring clarity to a chaotic competitive landscape.
“Basically what we’re doing is we’re building some structure inside the sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” White said. “Now, millions of people around the world compete in jiu-jitsu now. And there’s big tournaments out there where people, you know, win big money and we’re going to put a structure to it.”
The format, titled “UFC BJJ Road to the Title,” follows the same blueprint that launched numerous UFC stars. An eight-episode series will air on UFC Fight Pass, introducing competitors ahead of the main event during International Fight Week.
“It’s, you know, like the ultimate martial artist and road to the title that we did with Power Slap,” White explained. “This format, the best always rise to the top, no matter what.”
The inaugural event is scheduled for June 25th and will feature three title matches. White hopes this signals the start of a more organized, widely recognized version of competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—one built with the same structure that helped turn the UFC into a global powerhouse.
From that first humbling BJJ class to reshaping the combat sports industry, White continues to push for broader respect and recognition of the art that changed his life.
