File this one under “unlikely-looking pairings.” On the one hand, you’ve got the Oxford Union, the independent student-run institution founded in 1823 and host of speakers ranging from Albert Einstein to Winston Churchill, Stephen Hawking to Richard Nixon, Mother Teresa to Robert F. Kennedy. On the other hand, you have: UFC president Dana White.
Yes, White might seem an unlikely choice to join that list, considering episodes like this. But on October 13, he’ll do it, and digging a little deeper, he’s a natural choice for it. Oxford Union vice president Ash Sangha, for example, said:
As president of UFC, Dana has created a billion dollar global sports company in less than a decade and we look forward to hearing his take on the rise of the UFC and giving us greater insight into this phenomenon.
Well, yeah – put it that way, and White sure sounds like he has every right to join that list of Oxford Union speakers. The guy says some ill-advised things from time to time, but he’s done a phenomenal job building UFC into a giant, widely-followed enterprise, and to accomplish what he has, you need some serious skills in not only marketing a product but creating a product people are interested in.
Plus, that list of speakers we mentioned before? It’s undeniably impressive, but, as with the list of past speakers in the wire service article, rather selectively chosen to make White sound out of his league.
In addition to the titans mentioned previously, White will join the following as Oxford Union speakers: O.J. Simpson, Diego Maradona, Jon Bon Jovi, Jerry Springer, Kermit the Frog, and Ron Jeremy.
Doesn’t sound so intimidating now, does it? White said he’s expecting to give “straight answers” to “tough questions” in a statement, and while we’re sure he’ll get tough questions (and would advise him to be on his best behavior), we think he’ll be up to the task. If Kermit the Frog handled it, we have a feeling he can.
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