Dana White reflects on ‘friend’ Kobe Bryant investing in the UFC: “An incredible human”

UFC President Dana White recently took some time to discuss Kobe Bryant.

In the summer of 2016, the UFC completed was bought out by WME-IMG. While many executives left the company during this timeframe, Dana White famously decided to stay around. Ultimately, when the purchase was made final, Endeavor had a meeting with all of their clients, where they would be able to buy a share of the UFC.

As Dana White retold in a recent interview with Complex, Kobe Bryant attended the meeting. The former Lakers legend decided to buy a share of the company but remained in contact with the UFC president. The following year, Dana White and Kobe Bryant attended the company’s press conference announcing their partnership with Body Armor.

Nonetheless, the promoter regarded the former basketball champion as a friend. In the interview, Dana White praised Kobe Bryant for his friendship and noted how excited the former Laker was to join the UFC back in the summer of 2016.

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“I knew him personally, he and I were friends,” Dana White stated in the interview when asked about Kobe Bryant. “He actually invested in the UFC. When Endeavor bought, they let all their clients come in and take a piece, he took a piece. Not only was he like [Michael] Jordan with the same mentality which I love and respect so much. But, he was an incredible human being.”

He continued, “He was such a good guy, I’ll never forget where I was when Kobe died. Right when all the celebs were about to cash out on their UFC thing, it was like days before he passed away. He was super pumped about the investment, and I love Kobe.”

What do you make of these comments from Dana White?