Dana White Talks Tito, Sylvia, and More
It’s almost as if UFC President Dana White is on cruise control…all the time. The man never seems to slow down when it comes to bashing those who he feels have wronged or disappointed him in some fashion.
White was the spotlight of a recent Playboy interview, and for those too embarrassed to ask the clerk behind the counter at 7-Eleven for a copy, here is an excerpt (courtesy of F4WOnline)which further explores Dana’s well documented distaste for (surprise) Tito Ortiz:
“That big-mouthed bit*h, that clown. Back when he had the title, he refused to fight Chuck Liddell. He sat on the sidelines for a year and a half, crying, ‘Aww, I don’t have any money!’ So I brought him back and made him a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. That year he made more than $6 million, yet he bit*hes about me. Well, I put up with Tito’s sh*t when he was a decent fighter, but now he’s not and I don’t have to… Did you see what a wall flower he was on [The Celebrity Apprentice]? The guy has no presence. He was the idiot hiding in the back. If he actually did something, people would know how stupid he is.â€
As harsh as Dana’s words appear, the man’s hatred of Tito is really nothing new. However it does seem that Mr. White has some piping fresh animosity for former UFC champion Tim Sylvia, who was thoroughly thrashed on two separate occasions this past week…
“Look, we cut Tim Sylvia, he couldn’t cut it in the UFC anymore.”
“Tim has been boring people for years.”
“But we all have to thank him [Emelianenko] for getting rid of Tim Sylvia. He’d been stinking out the joint the last couple of years and Fedor did everyone a favor by beating him so easily and getting rid of him.â€
Lastly, Dana again ranted in his Playboy interview about how the UFC is taking over the professional sports empire, this time noting that the NFL will eventually be forced to take a backseat to the Zuffa operated promotion:
“What are the major sports in America right now? The NFL and Major League Baseball, with the NBA third. The NHL was fourth, but now we’re fourth, and we’re still in our infancy. Our ratings on Spike TV beat most of the major sports in our 18-to-34 demo. Last year we beat four Monday Night Football games in the demo. In eight years, the UFC will be bigger than the NFL, bigger than World Cup soccer. It will be the biggest sport in the world.â€
I’m all for MMA getting bigger and better, but Dana’s tone just seems greedy and borderline comic book villainous. While White caps things off by stating “it will be the biggest sport in the world” he prefaces it with “the UFC will be bigger than the NFL”.
Not the sport of mixed martial arts as a whole, but the UFC.
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“Did you see what a wall flower he was on [The Celebrity Apprentice]? The guy has no presence. He was the idiot hiding in the back. If he actually did something, people would know how stupid he is.â€
This is similar to the quote he laid down to thescore.com but i’d have to say, the one on the score was better, funnier.
“He was a wallflower. He didn’t wanna talk cause he didn’t want to be exposed for being completely ****ing retarded.”
And to be fair, comparing the UFC to the NFL is perfectly acceptable. If he were to say that the UFC is going to be bigger than the sport of football, different story. He probably worded that with intent.
Hahahahahahahaha…im the biggest fan ever!!! I’m also a very realistic person. How cananyone believe UFC wil be bigger than the NFL…cmon
Well each individual NFL club is worth approx 1B, so I’d say the UFC has a ridiculously long way to go, but never say never I guess… It’s good to have goals.
Gotta love Dana
Shane Carwin’s response to ‘What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC?’
“It’s a real dream come true. The UFC is the NFL of mixed martial arts.”
Maybe that’s what Dana meant to say…
Ive heard Dana make that “The UFC will be bigger than the NFL in 8 years” statement before. and he explained that comment by saying the UFC on a world wide scale will be bigger than the NFL. because no one in Asia or Europe really love or understand the game of football, but everyone understands 2 guys trying to beat each other up. so in 8 years as the UFC branches to Europe, Asia, etc it will be more popular and that does makes sense since europe, canada, japan all seem to have embraced this sport.
I think Dana’s great, I really do.
as arogant as a statement like that is, it holds merit…
no sport has taken off like mma EVER… at first people called it a freakshow, then it gained momentum quicker and quicker… the best thing about mma is that anyone can do it… if i trained my butt off for 6months i could do some serious damage, i already have 2yrs of traditional jiujitsu behind me, and i hit the bag at home, if i had a real trainer it is not an unrealistic idea that i could become a top fighter…
now compare the world off mma to football, hell even brock lesnar couldnt cut it in the nfl, yet give him another year of mma training and the belt will be his…
soon enough like dana says mma or rather the UFC will be the most dominate sport on television, everyone will watch it like the lunar landing…
im surprized dana hasnt said with valid points that one day mma will be in the olympics… did anyone watch the judo event? or the taekwando stuff? its boring to watch now, and it used to be one of the highlights for me… they also look so unskilled and they are supposed to be the best of the best…
i could just imagine mma in the olympics too… they would have to fight a few times before the final weight division match ups… and all in the span of a couple weeks… lets see some ofthe 2 fight per year fighters compete in that…
im a big fan of the ufc its my second fav sport only football or soccer as u guys like to call it is ahead of it, but theres no way the ufc/mma is going to be bigger then footie over here in the uk, i dont get the american football game just like most people in england so i no were dana is comeing from with his statement about it being the biggest sport in the world but no way is it going to be bigger then the world cup,
Dana needs to shut up and just run the company. Bigger than the NFL, his a$$. What drugs does this guy take? I’ve heard enough about his little high school spat with Tito. Get over it, move on.
I will say he is spot on with the Timmy Silvia comment, he has been boring for a loooong time. Does Matt Hughes like Tim Silvia? According to his book, ah no, thinks he is a big oaf, dumb, and not very good.
The Rob and JOHNBOY, you are right on.
What is everyone nuts? I love MMA and I love the UFC. But come on.
In the USA, football is king. Every week it fills 16 stadiums with over 60,000 people. All which spend $100s and even $1000s on apparel.
In the world Formula 1 is the most watched event on television. About a billion people watch the races. Plus each race has 150,000+ in attendence.
And futbol, soccer, is crazier than football, in the amount of fans and money spent on team merchandise.
Dana has been a great for the sport, but in recent years he has become more arrogant. He’s trying to be bigger than the sport. He no longer lets fighters compete outside of UFC.
In 2006 and 2008, Dana said he’d hold a PPV in Mexico next year. Didn’t happen in 2007 and looks like it isn’t going to happen in 2008. So his timelines are a bit off.
He doesn’t need to bash Tito or Sylvia, but that’s not Dana’s style.
Mark Cuban treats his Dallas Mavericks with respect and they have the best of everything. He is now making big opportunities for up and coming promoters and fighters. In the long run I believe his way is smarter. Remember, Cuban made his millions on his own. Dana is successful, because he happened to be a childhood friend of Lorenzo Fertitta.
i think dana’s a idiot for saying that now i understand why he wont let couture and fedor face…he doesnt care about mma being huge..he just wants the ufc to be huge
timcat,
Yes Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia are friends. Did u read the whole book or did u just read up to the part where they just met? I lost a lot of respect for Dana in this interview. You are not God Dana.
Wow! $6 Mill and he has the nerve to **** about needing more money. I just lost all respect for Tito. That is more in one year than most of us will see in a life time. What a Di(k.
I hope Dana is right. I love the UFC and MMA. I could careless if the UFC becomes the only orginization in MMA. The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NASCAR run their sports and no one bit(hes that they have a monopoly on it. So whats the difference if the UFC does it? Granted I do like the free shows that UFC is forced to add due to comp though.
Is there a bigger egomaniac in all of sports than Dana White? He plasters himself all over shows like the ultimate fighter and does the countdown shows like he actually knows something…I really cant stand him. He wont have any credibility with me until he brings in the best (fedor in UFC and bring Kid Yamamoto to WEC to destory Faber)
Dana can do whatever he WANTS!
UFC NAZI FOR LIFE!!!
Hahaha. I’m with Kouch on this one!
War UFC Nazi!
esopterodactyl,
Kid Yamamoto vs Faber would be a headliner for the WEC that I would actually be willing to buy a PPV for. Throw Condit, Torres, and Pulver fights on there and you have a card worth buying.
But luckily for us the WEC is FA-REEEE!
Is What?
FREE, FREE, FAAA-RREEEEE!
Dana White is an idiot. Tito is stupid… he stayed with the UFC too long. Now he’s washed up and MMA is getting huge. The UFC will never, NEVER be bigger than the NFL. That’s like saying the UFC will be bigger than soccer in the rest of the world… The NFL IS football in the USA and the UFC will never top that. The UFC will soon be reeled in by the sport of MMA. Stars are already going to other promotions. To be the best, you have to have the best stars. The UFC is on top right now, but that will soon change. Other promotions will offer more money and the top guys will go elsewhere. They fight for the money, not because they love getting stitches or broken bones. Dana White never learned how to keep his stupidity to himself. He will someday… sooner rather than later.
DolfanG,
You’re just wrong….plain and simple. Other promotions throwing around money are all going to collapse. Dana White has proven himself right when he said, “No one knows the business of MMA the way I do.” He is yet to be proven wrong. IFl had all these so called “great ideas” and look where they ended up. Elite which was suppose to be an up and comer just cancelled a show. Affliction is proving to be a one hit wonder with many probelms. Affliction lost $7-7.5million on their first show and that was suppose to be the greatest card in MMA history. Yes, it was very good but how the F do you end up $7-7.5 mill in the hole when you have FEDOR on your card!?!?! BAD BUSINESS DECISIONS!(million dollar signing bonus??) UFC is on top because it has the vast majority of prime talent in the world and runs their promotion beautifully. Greedy fighter’s have shown how bad their careers take a turn for the worst when thinking, “MONEY.” (Randy) Everyone needs to calm the F down with this money BS! The bigger pay days will come but the sport is still YOUNG! Give it time.
Once again. KOUCH for PRESIDENT.
Long Live the UFC.
Dana is a little greedy but it is for the better of the UFC and that will eventually show in the wallets of fighters. It took a long time before the NFL or MLB paid there players proper amounts. Give it time for the UFC to really get a strong foundation (it is nowhere near what other pro sports have yet) to pay the fighters 6 to 7 figures a year. Eventually these guys will be gettting payed yearly salaries in the 6 to 7 figure range as opposed to per fight as low as 2g’s. It takes time and the first people to get paid have to be the owners. Sorry but that’s the way the real world works folks.
KOuch,
You’re right. This idea that you can pay fighters millions doesn’t make sense…yet. But if Dana wanted to make the UFC as big as the NFL he would pay these guys more. I know what some of these guys want is unrealistic but if that is what Dana wants, that is what he has gotta do.
UFC will always be #1…..no doubt about it. The reason I say I lost my Dana respect is because he compares every other sport to the UFC. Isnt that kind of childish?? Why do that?? Who cares if you are going to be the biggest sport (in Dana’s mind) in the world. NFL and Soccer (Football) will always be top sports, but why throw the comparison out there?? Its like he is trying to get attention. I am sure the owner of the New England Patriots is not thinking, man, we need to be bigger than Soccer. Quit trying to be bigger than everyone else and just grow the damn sport.
well put FixXeR
MAYBE IF I WRITE LIKE YZF PEOPLE WILL READ THIS STATEMENT! THE STATEMENT IS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. HE SAID IN 8 YEARS THE UFC WILL BE BIGGER THAN THE NFL IN THE WORLD NOT THE US, THE WORLD FOLKS. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE NFL IN ASIA OR EUROPE. THIS SPORT APPEALS TO EVERYONE BECAUSE ITS VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND. THAT’S WHAT HE MEANT, SO LETS NOT OVER REACT. BUT ON THE SAME NOTE IF I SAID THE UFC WOULD BE THIS BIG 9 YEARS AGO (OR WHENEVER ZUFFA BOUGHT IT) WOULD YOU HAVE BELIEVED ME?
Dana dont say something if he dont believe it. Everything he says usually happens or is true. The NFL is huge in our country and always will be. Dana said that the ufc will basically take over the world. And he didnt say right now he said in eight years. So you haters mark it down in five to ten years from today it will happen
ya ufc will be huge. but the other mma organizations will be huge also.
Jebus bless Dana White!
KOuch,
Businesses come and go. The b iggest of them can fall… remember Enron? The UFC is on top right now, but it won’t stay that way. Too many billionaires are making noise… Another promotion will take off and the fighters will go with them. Money talks and the fighters are professional fighters. They want to be paid for what they do and they know their job won’t last that long. They have to get the money when they can. People talk about Randy being greedy, but he just wants the payoff for what he’s put into the sporet for 10 years. For what he does, he’s grossly underpaid. Any champion boxer would easily make 10 times what he makes. The fighters deserve a bigger piece of the action and when that comes along, they’ll take it. Dana White, thinking the UFC will always be what it is today, is moronic. The UFC will fall inline with other promotions in time. It’s going to happen. They will never reach the NFL level in the USA or the level of soccer in most of the rest of the world. You can take that to the bank.
Dana should stop bashing his current or former employees. That is not good for business.
UFC just won’t be bigger than Euro soccer or the NFL in the US. It’s just not going to happen.
Wow the future is gonna be great. Dana says the UFC will be bigger than NFL and World Cup in 8 years. Obama says we won’t be buying oil from the middle east in 10 years.
What the f*** are these people smoking? In 1985, Doc Brown, of Back to the Future fame, said we’d be flying cars in 25 years. We aren’t on target for that either.
I predict the UFC will either not exist in 10 years, and/or Dana and Fertittas no longer control it. Us consumers spend too much of our money on MMA, for most of it to go to the top brass and not the fighters. Share the wealth or the fighters should and will leave.
DolfanG, preach it brother.
Gonzo you are nuts. You can’t honestly believe people will stop watching this sport cause fighter are under paid. The NFL makes 20 times more than the UFC, yet they have poor health plans for former players. A lot of which die in slums and are suffering from terrible injuries due to the game. And it was a big story for a while, but are you not gonna watch an NFL game? No, you know why? Cause in the end we just care about us. I don’t care what Roger Huerta makes that’s his problem for signing that deal and chosing that lifestyle. No one forced him to be a fighter and no one forced him to sign the deal. People just want to be entertained, they don’t care about what a fighter makes. Hell people don’t care when their favorite player beats his wife or gets a DUI. You still cheer and buy their jerseys. So everyone get off their soap boxes over the poor fighters that make in 15 minutes what the average 2 income family makes all year.
Dear Dana,
We are moving to Vegas soon. Can I have a job pushing the sound effects button everytime you let off a pajorative?
Sincerely,
JR UFC Nazi
aznstar, maybe you’ve missed the point here. I watch MMA all the time. Not just UFC, but WEC… Dream… and whatever I can get. The question here is will the UFC be the top sports organization in the world or USA in the future. Dana says it will be… Not one of the top MMA organizations, but BIGGER than the NFL and I believe he said it would be the biggest in the world… Bigger than FIFA??? Anybody that could think that is out of their mind. The UFC won’t even be the MMA gorilla that they are right now if they don’t do more to keep the best fighters. How can they do that?… Give them cookies and milk when they win??? I think the fighters will want to be paid in cash. IF the sport continues to grow as Dana thinks it will, then there will be more people putting more money into it. The fighters will demand more money and they will go where they can get more money.
As far as them making so much for 15 minutes, that’s funny… I guess all the training that they go through in order to fight at all those events before they got famous is water under the bridge… I guess when they make it to a big show and have to step up their training and hire seperate coaches for different disciplines and spend hours and hours working in the gym is also water under the bridge… And I also guess that the time they spend healing up after a fight and the medical bills they incur is also water under the bridge… they only work for 15 minutes… that’s funny…
They deserve a bigger piece of the pie and they will eventually get it… if not in the UFC, then they will get it somewhere else… like Affliction for example… but what the heck do I know?…
One more thought… back in the 50’s the NFL was thought to be untouchable in football. Other organizations sprang up and died out until the AFL came along. They grew slow and steady until the NFL had to take notice. The AFL was signing players out of college that the NFL wanted… Joe Namath comes to mind… Finally they decided to play against each other and the Super Bowl was born. Ultimately the AFL challenged the NFL and the 2 groups merged. The AFL caught up with the NFL even though they lost money in the beginning. They held it together and the rest is history… Just a thought…
This is a sport in its infancy, the sport doesn’t have the infastructure to support giving every fighter as much as they want, cause they feel under paid. You talk about affliction, well guess what they will go out of business by 2 years. They took huge losses and next event will be even worse. They overpaid for all these fighters and look what its getting them. They are already trying to cut fighters pay. Its like running any other business you keep operating costs low to continue to run in the black. There is no precident for fighters pay, So you get what market value is. I’m sure 8 years in fighter will make more, but lets not forget he said Tito Ortiz made $6 mil in a year…that’s not chump change. They make way more than just their fight purses and until we know the exact number they get lets not comment on it anymore.
As far as the well they train everyday and they do this or that. Well you know what if this job sucks and your so under paid maybe you should be an accountant. NO ONE FORCED THEM TO BE FIGHTERS! They made that choice. So this is what the pay is. Don’t like it find another career. I don’t feel bad for the single A baseball player that has to travel the country on a bus playing a day night double header after riding on a bus for 12-15 hours for maybe $500 a game. That’s their choice, they have a dream and are doing whatever it takes to get there.
If the sport becomes 2nd to soccer in europe, 3rd to MLB and the NFL in america, 2nd behind Hockey in Canada, 2nd in mexico, Japan, china. That wouldn’t put them number 1 in the world? Each country has their sport that will never be passed. But as collective this could be huge if you add them all up. This is his goal, why is everyone up in arms? Why should his goal be any less?
Of course no one forced anybody to become a fighter, but don’t be so simple-minded to say they are well paid for 15 minutes of work… They work for months before and after a fight for that money. And most fighters compete about 4 times a year so they get 4 paydays, aside from sponserships, per year.
The question at the moment is: will the UFC (not MMA, but UFC) be bigger than the NFL in the USA or bigger than FIFA in the rest of the world? No they will not. The numbers you mention are for a specific demographic… 18-30 I think… In all, the numbers aren’t that high. So should a fighter be paid more than the sport can afford?… nope, but the sport is growing and so the payday’s should also be growing on the same level. That’s what the fighters want and deserve. Dana White wants to take credit for the birth of the sport even though it’s been going on in Japan for years. MMA is quickly catching up with boxing and might even be bigger than boxing now. How much money did Mayweather make in his last title defense? Has ANY MMA fighter ever made even a tenth of that?… Even for a championship defense? If MMA and boxing are on the same level or close to it, then why aren’t the purses on the same level or close to it? It’s the fighters that people pay to see not Dana White. It’s the fighters that have made the sport what it is. Sure, Dana has made some good moves, but prior to The Ultimate Fighter show getting on TV the UFC was in trouble. Dana got lucky that Spike was interested. Dana is no genius even though he thinks he is. In time another promotion will step up and start signing the top fighters and be able to compete head-to-head with the UFC… it could be Affliction or it could be a promotion that will spring up later this year or next year, but it will happen… just like the AFL popped up and challenged the NFL… It’ll happen.
Dana mentioned that Tito made 6 mil… Tito is one of the most recognizable fighters in MMA… a former champion… how much did a comparable boxer make in the same time frame? MMA is overtaking boxing in popularity… Where is the money going? The greedy ones in MMA aren’t the fighters, it’s guys like Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. My question is how much money did they make while Tito got 6 mil?
Will the UFC be the biggest sports organization in the world?… ever?… get serious… that’s a stupid thing to say. For all we know, it might be riding a wave right now and in 8 years it might have gone the way of Olympic baseball, but it will never be the biggest organization in the world. If it was on track to do that, if it was making that much money, then pay the fighters what they deserve.
Dana is not thinking clearly …..
I agree with fact that ufc is the best talent as a whole right now …. however ….. he cannot overlook the fact that the others are creeping up ..If the elitexc -strikeforce -affliction and dream could continue to pass talent around they would surpass the UFC . They just have to be willing to be flexable and from what Ive seen its happening at a lower level .Im not worried about titles and belts , just seeing people fight .Maybe have a crocket cup style tourney … just dont count the wins or losses on their records rather just state the winner as the champ . That way more fighters would want to compete with no worries of crazy losses on their records .
Yes these guys get 4 paydays a year, are any of these guys living in their cars? They struggling for cash? Living hand to mouth? No. You make a very good living doing what you love to do (cause please believe you need to love this to do it) so what’s the beef? A lot of these guys have degree’s and are educated enough to be successful in other jobs. They don’t do this to be a millionare, they do it cause the love fighting. That’s why I don’t feel bad cause they don’t make as arod or Kobe. Cause there’s a lot of people that will never get a shot to make a living doing something they love.
You are right this all could be a fluke, which would make me say even more so the UFC should watch how big these contract get.
The UFC owns the 18-25 demo. Why is that key? Cause 1st its that demo that spends a lot of money on stuff. 2nd time gets us all and the 18-25 that love the sport, turn into 30-40 year olds that love the sport and share it with their kids as they grow up. Even now I run a store that carries heavy MMA product. And I get kids who know who Rampage is and want a Tapout backpack for school. I had a kid maybe 7 or 8 tell me he wanted to be a MMA fighter when he gets older. And that’s why this sport won’t die and will continue to grow.
As far as what Dana white has done, you can’t say it was a fluke and he didn’t really do anything for the sport. The sport was dead in the US (what goes on in Japan has no bearing on the US conscience, sumo is huge in japan don’t mean its gonna catch on here) Zuffa bought the UFC for 2 million dollars. Now its worth a billion based on the changes he made. How can you hate on that? Yes he fought to get it back on PPV, he made rule changes, he changed the image of the sport (an image he is still trying to mold). Dana white and Zuffa got the sport legalized in 48 states. And has lawyers working on getting NY to sanction fights (the UFC is, not elite xc or affliction. The UFC is paying money to expand the sport). Some of the posts here make it sound like he stumbled into a billion dollar company, which is a joke. Hate him or love him he has worked his ass off to get the UFC here. And everyone in this sport owes a debt of gratitude for what he did. Cause if not we aren’t having this discussion and we are talking about Brett Farve’s TD pass against the skins today. STOP HATING!
I am not taking anything away from Dana and the Fertittas. They deserve all the credit for getting the sport where it is today.
That said, there are thousands of MMA fighters around the US. They obviously all cannot be in the UFC or WEC. Competing MMA promotions not only keeps the UFC on their toes, it also gives opportunity for the all up and coming fighters. Fighters that aren’t in the big name promotions, make hardly any money, if any.
aznstar_inc,
I’m not saying people will stop watching UFC, because they do not pay the fighters well. I’m saying the fighters will leave to go to other MMA promotions.
FYI, the fertittas bought the UFC for $2 million, but it also came with at $38 million debt. So officially it cost $40 million.
Affliction could lose $5-$7 million a fight for two years and still stay afloat. By then they’ll have a lot of the top UFC fighters, their own reality show, and probably have bought Ring of Fire for their own up and coming fighters.
It takes money to make money. Donald Trump has all the connections for sponsors and funding.
FYI, MMA will never pass Football and NASCAR in US in the 18-25 demo.. And never make more money than baseball, basketball, hockey, or even MLS.
Donald Trump is more of a figure head than anything else. We will see how much money he’s investing.
They lost 7 mil with the most loaded card they had. How much are they gonna lose this next card with Josh Barnet fighting as your headliner? With no tito, Arlovski, Vitor. That PPV will get less than 25,000 buys this time around. the company was never built to last. They overpaid for a bunch of over the hill fighters, in hopes of a big payday. And because of that mindset, they will not last.
The UFC in 8 years has grown to this. All the other sports you’ve named are well established sports. MMA is growing sport with unlimited earning potential. So we shall see where they stand in the world market soon enough
i dont affliction and all but why does everyone keep refering to alot tof the affliction fighters as over the hill…none of them really are……barnett definitly not hes one of the best hw in the world…lindland no he is a top middleweight….. pedro rizzo maybe
Sun, 08/17/2008 – 17:23 — am4mma
Dana White President of Zuffa the parent company of the popular Ultimate Fighting Championship recently was interviewed for Playboy magazine. Please read his comments below:
“What are the major sports in America right now? The NFL and Major League Baseball, with the NBA third. The NHL was fourth, but now we’re fourth, and we’re still in our infancy. Our ratings on Spike TV beat most of the major sports in our 18-to-34 demo. Last year we beat four Monday Night Football games in the demo. In eight years, the UFC will be bigger than the NFL, bigger than World Cup soccer. It will be the biggest sport in the world.”
This is humorous considering MMA events are not LEGALLY able to take place in the single largest sports market in the country, New York State. New York has 3 professional NFL teams, 3 professional NHL teams, 2 professional MLB teams, a professional NBA team and a NASCAR track. This state currently provides its taxpayers a wide range of sporting events and yet it still will not allow MMA or The UFC to compete here. I question you as to why not? Why would New York State not be interested in allowing one of the fastest growing sports in the world to take place in its state or in its “Holy Grail,” Madison Square Garden. It appears there may be more behind the scenes, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” kind of stuff going on with the LEGALIZATION OF MMA in New York.
MMA and The UFC seems like it would be a huge cash cow for a state that is economically in constant turmoil and yet still illegal.
Mr. White, before you can take on the world, you need to be able to compete in the largest venue in your own backyard first.
hes already taking on the world…. who cares about new york, its there loss, the ufc is in the uk, canada, and the usa, soon i expect it to go to asia and more of the uk and of course brazil which has the worlds largest arena…
madison square gardens is falling apart..new york is small potatoes compared to the rest of the world…
Canada, are you aware that it is still banned in most of the country and is only allowed in Montreal and one other City.
MSG is falling apart, come on. Almost every major sporting event in the last 50 years has taken place in MSG. Ali Frasier, NY Rangers Stanley Cup, etc. If NY is small potatoes why is the UFC so concerned with attempting to get in there…….Because my friend it is the “HOLY GRAIL” of all sporting venues. Ask Vince McMahon of WWE where his company would be without MSG. I do agree UFC is growing at an alarming rate but UFC needs to be concerned with LEGALIZING MMA in NY. Have you checked out http://www.angermangement4mma.com.
Wow, I’m really enjoying this “I told you so” moment. Dana shows his true colors and the retard fanboys STILL back him. It disgusts me the filth that comes out of his mouth and he’s the !@#%ing PRESIDENT of a fairly large ‘corporation’??? Unbelievable.
What an a$$.
I suppose Dana has never heard the phrase “taking the high road” for anything. This was his true moment to shine and he BLEW IT. I have lost ALL respect (I barely had any left) for him now and have gone from ‘Anti-Dana’s tactics’ to just plain ‘Anti-Dana White’
You have to understand that Dana’s job is to be an asshole, He’s a businessman. Yeah, he shouldn’t be calling his pro fighters p*ssies, but some of them are arsholes and don’t handle their business very well. Hey, the UFC hasn’t slowed down yet!