In some cases, the UFC bought out the competition. It turned World Extreme Cagefighting into a showcase for lighter weights, and purchased the Japanese promotion Pride.

White claims that he's not interested in putting other organizations out of business, especially when they help develop young talent for his own. But that's not the view of rival promoters who claim he's ruthlessly trying to rule the sport.

"They need to stop monopolizing, and on the other hand, how do you blame them?" says Tom Atencio, the mastermind behind the Affliction mixed martial arts shows. "When you're the only game in town, and you rule the roost, why would you open up?"

When Atencio scheduled his first pay-per-view event last year, White promptly threw together a competing card the same night on cable.

"I have huge respect for them. I wouldn't be here without them," Atencio says. "I'm competition, but I never viewed myself as competition until they counter-programmed our first event. I have no hard feelings, it's just business."

Which begs the question: Will the sport continue to grow if the UFC is in control?

Andrew Simon of HDNet Fights, an MMA promotion and television outlet founded by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, doesn't think so. Simon says many top stars are already showing up on rival promotions, and the UFC needs to focus on bringing fans the best fights.

The main event at UFC 100 featured heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, but the man often considered the best in the world is Fedor Emelianenko. He'll be fighting on Atencio's next show, Affliction: Trilogy, against Josh Barnett in August.

"Wouldn't it be great to have the winner of Lesnar versus Mir fight the winner of Emelianenko versus Barnett?" Simon asks. "Only then, can we say the sport of MMA is headed to the next phase of growth."

White bristles at such a thought. To him, the UFC remains the sport's Super Bowl and World Series wrapped into one.

"I'm not out there to squash them," White says, his voice rising. "All the guys that have come in the past see some dollar signs. You think they love MMA? You think they love it? They see dollar signs, they think there's something in it for them."

In that respect, White believes it's his responsibility to safeguard a sport that he has grown and nurtured almost from the beginning, and has given him so much in return: financial security, a 7,500-square-foot home, worldwide attention.

"Is it going to become stale, are people going to become tired of it? Hell no," he says. "Is there too much football on TV? Is there too much baseball on TV?

"People want to see great fights, and if we put together the best fights with the best fighters in the world, this is going to continue to grow and grow and grow."