Dana White doesn’t believe he’ll be seeing Sal Everett at work this week, because his former runner has a new job.
Everett is a UFC employee who once worked security for the promotion and now serves as White’s personal runner at UFC headquarters. Or served. On Tuesday night, Everett — who is also a professional MMA fighter with an undefeated record — delivered a scorching knockout over Ozzy Martin during Week 9 of Contender Series, earning a UFC contract. And now that he’s in the UFC, White thinks
Everett should hang up his running shoes.
“I think this contract changes his life to where he doesn’t have to work at the office,” White told reporters during his post-Contender Series scrum. “I think that when we run into Sal now, it will be at the P.I. training. I think if he’s gonna really do this and take a run, now he’s got a contract that actually pays him enough money to make a living and support his family, then he needs to take this serious and go.”
Everett is the first UFC employee to compete on Contender Series and also the first to actively fight in the UFC. For his part, Everett said afterward that he wants to keep his day job in the UFC, but it’s unclear if that will actually end up happening. Criticisms about preferential treatment seem to be a foregone conclusion if so, especially given that there have already been some murmurs about the UFC giving a fighter with only a 4-0 record a shot on Contender Series in the first place. But White says Everett can’t concern himself with that.
“People are gonna talk shit no matter what,” White said. “That’s the last thing Sal needs to worry about. He went in there and earned that tonight. Everybody, even Sean Shelby — we’d be walking down the halls, and Sean was like, ‘Just letting you know, he’s in a f*cking fight! This is easily 50/50.’ And all my Boston guys were blowing me up that know the kid saying he’s a tough kid. Sal earned it. …
“It’s not like he was running around the office trying to use his relationships to get [here],” White added later. “I was the one that pushed Contender Series. …
“Every time I see him, I yell, ‘The champ is here!’” White added later. “He was stocking my fridge in the back, and I said to him, ‘Let’s get you on one of these episodes. I’ve been talking to Sean [Shelby], Mick [Maynard], and Hunter [Campbell]. Let’s make it happen.’ And he said, ‘I’m ready when you are.’
“It’s an unbelievable story.”
Mostly though, White is just happy for Everett, and he thinks everyone who knows him feels the same way.
“There isn’t one person at the headquarters that doesn’t like Sal,” White said. “Not one person. Hard worker, always positive attitude. … He earned his way here, and that’s one of the many things that people respect about him. Incredibly humble. It’s not like this guy is like some director over at the UFC; he’s a hard-working guy that shows up every day, does what he’s supposed to do, and is completely humble about it. …
“He could not be a more humble, great human being, and to see this happen to him, everybody that works for UFC, or fights at UFC, or has crossed his path is genuinely happy for him.”
