UFC CEO Dana White isn’t one to get emotional about something like the conclusion of a media deal.

But he did use the occasion of Saturday’s UFC 323 event, the last as part of an ESPN contract that expires at the end of the year, to reflect on his quarter-century in charge of a company that went from pariah to juggernaut.

“It’s been great,” White said. “Every partner we’ve had was who we were supposed to have along the way, and ESPN definitely helped take us to a new level. The leader in sports and all that.

“If you think about when we started, we had to buy our way onto Spike TV, and we couldn’t get covered by ESPN. So to finally do an ESPN deal and now leaving it being very positive about it and talking about what a great experience it was, it’s great.”

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