UFC CEO Dana White was moved by the death of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.
Terry Bollea, known to the world as Hogan, died Thursday at 71 due to cardiac arrest. The WWE Hall of Famer was the face of professional wrestling in the 1980s and beyond. “Hulkamania” ran wild, bringing pro wrestling to new heights. The impact was felt by White, who admits he was a fan growing up, like many people around the world.
“I’m 55 years old, so I grew up right in that (time) when the WWF was massive and Hulk was becoming a really big star,” White said on FOX News. “I watched the WWF back then, and I was a Hulk Hogan fan.”
White recently ran into the controversial wrestling star at the Republican National Convention, where both got on stage to stump for Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.
“When I got there, they walked me literally right into a holding room where they had me and Kid Rock,” White said. “On the way to my room, Hulk Hogan grabbed me and asked me if he could talk to me privately for a second. He pulled me aside, and you know, I’ll never forget that conversation that we had that night. He was a good man, he was special. He loved the president and obviously, he loved America.”
In December, Hogan was a part of a UFC event. Hogan flanked Colby Covington during his walkout at UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa, Fla., as his famous entrance theme, “Real American” by Rick Derringer, filled the speakers.
For White, Hogan represented a time in the 1980s where “men were men.” The stars of the time were muscle-bound action movie stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, of course, Hogan, who parlayed his success in the wrestling ring into a Hollywood career.
“Listen, I grew up in that era – that’s my era,” White said. “I think everybody, whatever era they grew up in, is the best era to them. The ’80s were incredible, and not just them. Guys like Stallone and Arnold, and the list goes on and on of the men’s men of that era. Yeah. To me – Reagan. I could go on and on. It was the best. I say it all the time: I’m really happy that I grew up in the era that I grew up in, the ’80s, and I’m really happy that I’m gonna be leaving the era that I’m gonna be leaving in. I’m very happy with where my time laid out in this world.”
