Dana White encourages parents to enroll children in Jiu-Jitsu: "It will change your kids' lives"

Dana White opened up about the best sports for parents to enroll their children in and suggested jiu-jitsu as the sport. He noted that there are plenty of benefits for children rather than team sports like basketball and soccer.

The UFC CEO has been involved in combat sports for decades and has seen the impact that it has on children regardless of whether they decide to compete or not. Jiu-jitsu has become quite popular, especially considering its effectiveness in MMA as well as for self defence.

During his appearance on The Pete and Sebastian Show this past May, the UFC CEO answered when comedian Sebastian Maniscalco asked which sports he would recommend for children. White named jiu-jitsu as an excellent sport to enroll a child in as early as four years old and mentioned that it provides lifelong benefits for character development. He said:

"Put your kids into Jiu-Jitsu...It will change your kids' lives and give them a level of confidence...Here's my thing with traditional sports. Soccer, basketball, it's fun, you learn some team stuff. You do it to a certain point. You put them in Jiu-Jitsu, they'll have that for the rest of their life, forever. To the day they die, they'll have that Jiu-Jitsu in their back pocket...It's not about strength or power, it's about technique." [22:25 - 23:01]

Check out the full episode with Dana White below:

---

Dana White heaps praise on Renzo Gracie's Jiu-Jitsu school

In addition to discussing the benefits of jiu-jitsu at a young age, Dana White heaped praise on Renzo Gracie for his Jiu-Jitsu school and training methods.

During the aforementioned appearance, White mentioned that Gracie has an excellent school that upholds the tradition and respect for jiu-jitsu and highly recommends it for children. He said:

"You got Renzo Gracie out in New York, who has unbelievable schools. And Renzo Gracie is like a solid, stands for the right things. Renzo Gracie is an awesome teacher. And he's beloved in the Jiu-Jitsu world...But I'm telling you right now, put your kids into Jiu-Jitsu. Life changing experience and something that they'll have for the rest of their life." [25:57 - 26:19]

Check out Renzo Gracie teaching Jiu-Jitsu techniques below: