UFC’s White Named Finalist for ‘Time 100’

Time magazine on Thursday announced the 200 finalists for the “Time 100,” an annual list of the world’s most influential people. Included among them was UFC President Dana White, the polarizing chief of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The 2010 list includes Pres. Barack Obama, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, “Avatar,” “Titanic” and “Terminator” director James Cameron, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, evangelist Billy Graham and American Idol judge Simon Cowell, among others

White, who turns 41 in July, pulled the UFC out of the gutter in 2001 when, with the backing of Station Casinos executives Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, he helped orchestrate the purchase of the hemorrhaging promotion for a mere $2 million. In less than a decade, it was transformed into a monstrous billion dollar juggernaut with a worldwide reach.

As of 3:41 p.m. ET, White was ranked number one on the list and had received 3,357 votes, eight times as many as Obama and more than double the votes garnered by the second-place Robert Pattinson, star of the “Twilight” movie franchise.