Kobe to be honored at UFC 247

The UFC will pay tribute to Kobe Bryant during Saturday's event in Houston.

UFC president Dana White confirmed plans to honor Bryant at UFC 247 in an interview with TMZ Sports, while also touching on the late NBA legend's connection with the company as an investor.

"This is the first fight since it happened and yes, we're gonna do something for Kobe," White said. "You look at Kobe the basketball player, right? Then the guy that won an Oscar and all of the other things that this guy has accomplished in his life. Well, also, he was one of the big investors in BodyArmor, the company that's a sponsor of the UFC. He was also an investor in the UFC."

White went on to reveal that Bryant received a distribution check from the UFC on the Wednesday before the helicopter crash that killed him and eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

"He was so pumped up and so excited and he said what everybody always says: 'I wish I invested more,'" White said. "But he was a great dude, he was a part of this company ... Kobe Bryant was a good guy in every way that you could possibly be a good guy."