Humble White relishes Hall of Fame nod

When Dana White was a high school student in Las Vegas, nobody could have imagined Friday night’s festivities.

“I was probably least likely to succeed all through school and then even after school,” the UFC president joked on a local radio show prior to his induction into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame at Orleans Arena.

“That’s why I say to be sitting here and be inducted, not to mention the fact it’s alongside (Andre) Agassi, who probably should have been in here a long time ago, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

White’s family moved to Las Vegas in 1978 when he was 9, but he knew immediately this was his kind of place.

“All I’d ever known was the East Coast,” he said. “I came out here and the city was tiny with tons of desert, but I always liked this place from the moment I set foot here. Even when I left after high school and went back to Boston, I always knew I’d end up back in Vegas.”

He was correct. White made his way back and worked his way through the fight scene until he struck it rich by helping build the Ultimate Fighting Championship into a global phenomenon

White partly credits the spirit of Las Vegas for some of his success.

“I lived in Boston and the East Coast where it’s all old money. There’s no real opportunity for young people,” he said. “There were people with master’s degrees from serious colleges working as security guards at hotels. Vegas is definitely the land of opportunity. Anyone can make it if you have the right idea, the drive and the work ethic.”

■ LITTLE NOG OUT — Antonio Rogerio Nogueira suffered an undisclosed injury and pulled out of his scheduled fight against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 161 on June 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Nogueira is coming off an upset win over Rashad Evans, but will miss out on the chance to defeat a second consecutive former champion.

Chael Sonnen immediately took to Twitter and lobbied to replace Nogueira in the bout. A report in Brazil on Monday said Sonnen would indeed step in. UFC officials did not confirm the report.

■ TUF UPDATE — Internet skeptics have had a field day with news last week that Miesha Tate has replaced Cat Zingano as UFC women’s champion Ronda Rousey’s rival coach on “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Tate and Rousey make no secret of their mutual dislike, and it should make for a more explosive season of the show.

Zingano detailed online every step of her surgery to repair a torn ACL, which has silenced some of the conspiracy theorists.

White took it another step, refuting the assertion that the organization was secretly happy Zingano had to be replaced and that Tate automatically makes for a better show.

“I honestly think that statement is unfair because we don’t know what Cat would have brought to the show. Who knows what Cat would have brought to the table or what would have happened between Cat and Ronda,” he said. “Maybe they would have ended up hating each other, too. I don’t know what would have happened. I can tell you this. When Cat Zingano was sitting in my office destroyed, it bummed me out.

“Cat’s undefeated and Ronda’s undefeated. That would have been a great fight, and at the end of the day, that’s what I want.”

■ FOX SPORTS 1 UPDATE — The first live fight event on the new Fox Sports 1 network, which White has said will be the most loaded card ever on network or cable television, is still without a main event.

There are several big fights booked for the Aug. 17 card in Boston, including Alistair Overeem against Travis Browne and Thiago Alves against Matt Brown, and several fights under consideration for the headlining spot.

“Still working on it,” White said.

In the meantime, the second event on the new network did get a main event this week. Welterweight contender Carlos Condit will fight Las Vegan Martin Kampmann in the main of UFC on Fox Sports 1 2 on Aug. 28 in Indianapolis.

■ FAN EXPO — The UFC released a list of more than 50 fighters scheduled to appear at the UFC Fan Expo on July 5 and 6 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Included are seven of the nine current champions, including Jon Jones, Georges St. Pierre and Ronda Rousey.

The weekend’s festivities will also include the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Las Vegans Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.

UFC 162, headlined by middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s title defense against Chris Weidman, takes place July 6 at MGM Grand.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.