Birthdate - 12/3/71
6'1" 195 lbs. - San Diego, CA
Team - Lion's Den
Style - Submission Fighting/Tae Kwon Do

Career Highlights
- Wins the IFC Championship by beating Vladamir Matyushenko via decision
- Battles soon-to-be Pride superstar Kazushi Sakuraba in a strong technical battle
- Knocks out David Dodd at KOTC 6 to defend his KOTC Light Heavyweight belt
- Beats Marvin Eastman by decision to win the Light Heavyweight title at KOTC 8
- Makes his long-awaited UFC debut having a strong showing against Ian Freeman

Striking - Vernon White's best area and the thing that brought him to the dance, he is a versitile and smart striker. Standing up he likes to throw a big high kick, jump in with knees or throw an inside leg kick, basically White likes distance beyond punching and then closes that gap quickly. He enjoys baiting guys into chasing him with punches because he dodges quickly and has good counterstrikes. White loves to clinch and pound away as well with knees and tight punches. On the ground he is dangerous as well, as he's aggressive with punches all over the place. Definitely "Tiger" White's strongest area, he has great offensive and defensive ability and keeps opponents off balance beautifully. His unorthodox techniques from Tae Kwon Do training have been a good asset and he is amongst the best strikers that's never really got a regular spot in the UFC or Pride.

Wrestling - Perhaps the weakest area of White, but it is nothing to sneeze at. He is patient as a result and waits for his opportunities. He likes the double leg and is good on the mat with submission and strikes. White is probably stronger when he's on the defensive with strong balance that comes from his striking background and he's transtioned into being a good sprawler. White has no problem being on the bottom though and he's very aggressive with a strong defense of GNP and counters in the form of submissions.

Hooking - While he will Ground n' Pound opponents, Vernon White is a strong submission fighter. As a Lion's Den fighter and Pancrase veteran, he has an affinity for leglocks, namely heel hooks. He might spend unnecessary time on impossible submissions from time to time, but he probably uses them as partially distractions and delays. His defense is excellent as anyone who saw his fight with Sakuraba can attest. He plays it smart and uses his natural physical tools to counter a variety of submissions.

Strengthes - Vernon White is a veteran of the fight world and he has all the benefits of that experience without the destroyed body from competing at the highest level. He is well-rounded guy who can have a fun striking battle or an intense submission-wrestling match. This diversity is good and it makes him usually an exciting fighter and why he hasn't got more exposure seems mind-boggling.

Weaknesses - Coming from a Tae Kwon Do background, White had little of proven worth to bring to the MMA world. After training with the Lion's Den and touring with Pancrase, he seemed to be one of the next top guys. But it never happened. Whether or not he's a world class striker is questionable as he's not been paired with the elite strikers to prove that

Outlook ? Since breaking away from Pancrase, where he spent over three years becoming a well-rounded fighter, but w with a poor 8-17-1 record, but his losses were to the company's elite fighters who were largely schooling a striker with very limited ground skills. Since starting in MMA after its boom, he's had better results, but never got the big breaks you'd expect. He's mostly fought with KOTC and the odd MMA shows where he's had a winning record. His losses have been to to some of the sports best: Rizzo, Sperry, Sakuraba, Goes and Horn. For the most part, White has aged well and remains an excellent fighter with some potential that hopefully UFC, who needs an exciting fighter like him who ducks no one, can make him a regular. Though it'd be best to pair him with grapplers, White is able to go with about anyone you put him up against.