Q&A with Dana White! - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

Dr.Chicago · 09-04-2007, 05:11 PM

Five Ounces of Pain: Q&A with UFC president Dana White

Sep. 3, 2007
By Sam Caplan
Special to CBSSports.com

Life for UFC president Dana White has been stressful but exciting in recent months.

In addition to dealing with the fallout of failed steroid tests for Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk at UFC 73, White and the UFC continue to fight an uphill battle in resurrecting the Pride Fighting Championships in Japan.

Another source of consternation has been the fact that the fight promotion remains mired in protracted negotiations with free-agent Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko that have made little progress recently.

The UFC also encountered a wave of negative publicity following Renato "Babalu" Sobral's decision to hold a choke several seconds after his opponent, David Heath, submitted at UFC 74.

But the setbacks have been balanced out by a series of triumphs. The UFC formally announced the signing of Wanderlei Silva several weeks back. The signing leaves them holding all the cards when it comes to a dream match between Silva and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

White also recently announced that heavyweight contender Brandon Vera had signed a new contract and would be fighting again for the promotion at UFC 77 and that the UFC had made significant progress with former NCAA and WWE heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Through all the ups and downs, White recently took the time to speak with CBSSports.com, where in typical White fashion he addressed many pressing topics head on.

Quote:

CBSSports.com: You confirmed during the UFC 75 conference call that you would be meeting with Fedor on Thursday. How did that meeting go?

Dana White: It didn't go well.

Q: Can you elaborate a little bit?

DW: I don't like to talk about contract negotiations with the public. but it didn't go well. These guys are crazy.

Q: You also announced that Renato "Babalu" Sobral was let go from his UFC contract. A lot of people agree with the move while some feel his crime was no worse than what B.J. Penn did to Jens Pulver at the live season finale of TUF 5. In your mind, what was the difference?

DW: I think that Babalu's (choke) was very malicious. B.J. held the choke, they don't like each other, the ref jumped in and stopped it. B.J. didn't jump up there and say, "He was a punk; he was a motherf-----. He had to pay for it. He had to learn some respect."

Listen, at the end of the day, I'm no *****; this is the fight business. OK? In jiu-jitsu, that stuff happens all the time. Guys will get aggravated and hold the choke and make them tap. If it had been an arm, a leg, or an ankle, I don't think the guy should have been allowed to fight again in this sport, let alone the UFC.

Was it wrong? Yeah, it was wrong. And the way that he carried himself after was wrong. That's not what this sport is about. A lot of these guys are good sports; there's a lot of camaraderie. But there's a lot of guys out there that are idiots and guys get into fights sometimes. Sometimes there's some heat, there's some bad blood, whatever it might be. But I don't like the way that he carried himself through the whole ordeal. It's not what we're about.

Q: When Noah Thomas and Marlon Sims engaged in a senseless street fight on TUF 5, it ultimately cost them any future they might have had with the UFC. Do you consider Sobral's decision to hold in his choke after the tap to be a worse offense?

DW: Yeah. Yeah, I do. Those guys aren't UFC fighters -- they wanted to be. The guys that you see on The Ultimate Fighter aren't UFC fighters. They're dreaming to be some day and one guy from each group will make it. This guy (Sobral) has been a UFC fighter for a long time. He's fought for world titles before. He's been around and it's more than just that (the Heath incident). It's more than just that. Two weeks before the fight, Babalu got into a fight in Miami at a club.

So it's more than just a choke. And I don't like talking about it. And all the people on the Internet, guess what? It is what it is. There's more to it than just the choke and yeah, I don't like the way he handled himself -- it was bad. Babalu needed to go. Babalu was lucky that he was still able to fight in the show after being involved in an altercation at a club the week before.

Q: After the arrest for misdemeanor battery and trespassing at the Seminole Reservation Casino in Florida, did you consider disciplinary action?

DW: I'm not your typical head of a sports organization where I got to get up there and say all the right s---. I'm in the fight game. These guys are fighters; they're tough guys. And things happen sometimes. Do I think that the media was totally overreacting about the Babalu thing? Some of them were. Yeah. But they're not fighters, they don't get it. It's a whole different world, this fight world. Whether it's boxing, kickboxing, MMA, whatever it is, these guys are different types of people, and I understand them. I really do. I'm not overly sensitive about things or the image of the company. But Babalu is showing a bad track record lately. I don't like the direction he's been going in, and he needs to straighten his life out if he wants to continue to be a professional athlete.

Q: Did you talk to him about this on a one-on-one basis?

DW: His agent. I talked to his agent, his manager. And he doesn't disagree.

Q: If Babalu goes out and gets his life together, will he be welcomed back to the UFC?

DW: Absolutely. I like Babalu. He's a good guy and a good fighter. Maybe he's just going through a weird time right now? Listen, we all make mistakes; we all do stupid s---. Like I said, had it been a knee, an elbow, or an ankle, it would be a whole different story.

Q: Is there a main event set for the UFC 78 card in Newark?

DW: No, we're still working on it.

Q: You commented on contract talks with Brock Lesnar after the weekend and pretty much guaranteed he'd be fighting for the UFC. Has there been any movement toward an official deal since you made those comments?

DW: Not yet. But the reason that I can say that is because I like Brock Lesnar as a person. He and I both get along personally and I like his management team. So usually when I sit down and start talking to people I've got a pretty good feeling of how I think things are going to go. I'm confident that I think I can come to a deal with these people.

Q: If Lesnar signs with the UFC, do you think he'll face top competition right out of the gate, or will he have to work his way up the ladder?

DW: There's nothing but (top competition) in the UFC. You don't walk into the UFC and fight easy guys -- it doesn't happen.

Q: But would he fit right into the title picture or would he have to build his way up?

DW: He's only had one MMA fight, but the guy has been wrestling his whole life. I've talked to people who I respect in the business who have trained with him and have trained him and say this guy is really talented. I see a lot of potential for him.

Q: Is there still interest on the part of the UFC in Kurt Angle?

DW: You know, I've talked to Kurt Angle a couple of times, but the thing with Kurt Angle was I never really thought Kurt Angle was taking it serious. Brock Lesnar is taking this s--- serious.

Q: What things has Angle said and done that have left you with the impression he's not taking it seriously?

DW: Because he wasn't willing to train and go to one of these camps and train with them and start to learn. He wanted to come right into the UFC. Brock Lesnar has been training with an awesome camp; he's already had a fight in a smaller organization. He's taking it serious.

If you look at Brock Lesnar, he's young. Take away all of his wrestling credentials, which are enough to get you in anyway, and look at the size of him. It's more serious to me that Brock Lesnar would fight in the UFC.

Q: Will GSP's next match be for the welterweight title, and might the match take place in Canada?

DW: Yes and yes. He'll fight the winner of Hughes/Serra. And yeah, we're trying to do a fight up in Canada, so that one would make a lot of sense.

Q: Roger Huerta has fought some quality opponents in the UFC but hasn't fought upper-echelon lightweight fighters yet. How soon until we see him fighting a top-tier guy?

DW: He's ready now. I think he's ready now after that last performance (vs. Alberto Crane at UFC 74). He fought a guy with a great record who was amazing on the ground -- seven of his last eight wins came by submission.

Q: How far is he from fighting for the title?

DW: That's a good question. I think he's probably a good year away.

Q: I know it's easy to second guess, but with Pride's demise do you feel that in hindsight Zuffa made some miscalculations when it came to due diligence that led up to the acquisition?

DW: No. No, not at all. I knew I wanted that library bad. It was what I wanted. So no, we didn't miscalculate anything except the whole deal was a nightmare. Getting that deal done was a nightmare. We didn't miscalculate anything. We knew we wanted it and we got it.

To be continued..

Dr.Chicago · 09-04-2007, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Q: With it proving to be a nightmare, if you guys knew then what you know now, would you still go through with it?

DW: Yes.

Q: Because you felt with the library that it was worth it?

DW: To me it was. To me, personally, I wanted that library.

Q: When Pride was acquired, what was Zuffa's understanding of how contracts were structured in Pride and whether they could be transferred? It seemed like some fighters were willing to sign their contract over while some fighters weren't.

DW: It was one of a million nightmares. One of a million nightmares. The worst business deal ever done in the history of business. Crazy. It was totally bankrupt. They were out of money (and) had nothing. We wanted the company so we went in and bought it. It didn't matter how f----- it was, how crazy the deal was -- we got what we wanted.

Q: Were you guys under the impression that contracts would automatically transfer over or did you know that you would have to get fighters to sign over?

DW: It was sketchy. Some guys we knew, some guys we didn't.

Q: With all the problems encountered in the acquisition, was there an adjustment in the buyout price that was reported by the Associated Press?

DW: We never gave out the final price.

Q: But was the price that was put out there by the Associated Press anywhere close?

DW: You know I don't talk about money, man.

Q: You have said that Dec. 29 is a possible re-debut date for Wanderlei Silva. If Chuck Liddell defeats Keith Jardine at UFC 76 on Sept. 22, might Liddell fight next on Dec. 29?

DW: He might.

Q: So it's possible we could finally see Liddell vs. Silva on Dec. 29?

DW: It's possible. Liddell would have to win. Liddell would have to come out injury free. There's a lot of ifs.

Q: But if he's able to beat Jardine and get through the match healthy, is that the match we're going to see on Dec. 29?

DW: I'd like to see it, wouldn't you?

Q: (Laughs.) I've been waiting to see it for five years, Dana!

DW: You!?

Q: Josh Barnett was very critical of comments you made about Randy Couture right after his win at UFC 74 and somewhat questioned the legitimacy of Randy's title reign. Has Barnett burned a bridge to the UFC with his recent comments?

DW: He's just a punk. You know what? The thing is I don't want to even talk about Josh Barnett. Nobody even cares about Josh Barnett. I got Mirko Cro Cop, the guy that just beat the s--- out of him. I'm not interested in Josh Barnett at all as far as who he is as a person or as a fighter or how he represents the sport. I don't like anything about him.

If he's that talented and that great, then great, let Bodog or IFL or EliteProXC or whatever the hell the name of the rest of those companies -- let one of them sign him. If he's that great -- they're always trying to get a leg up on me, sign Josh Barnett you guys! He'll do wonders for your business.

Q: You were complimentary toward Denis Kang during the UFC 75 conference call, yet you stopped short of calling him one of Pride's major stars. Why is it that you feel he falls short of such a designation?

DW: I like Denis Kang. I think Denis Kang is a good fighter. To call Denis Kang one of the biggest stars in MMA? No, I wouldn't. I know Denis Kang has made a great living fighting over in Korea because he's (half) Korean. He's made a very good living fighting over there.

Denis Kang was supposed to be on Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter but he ended up getting a good deal over in Korea. This is a guy we were looking at to be on season one of The Ultimate Fighter, I wouldn't call him one of the major superstars in MMA or one of the major superstars from Pride.

Q: There's been a lot of free-agent talk in regard to guys like Kang, Lesnar and Fedor. One name I haven't heard much about though is Gilbert Melendez. Does the UFC have any interest in him?

DW: I'm very interested in him. He's under contract with someone else right now. But yeah, I'm very interested in him.

Q: If Sean Sherk's appeal is upheld in October and he's forced to sit out a year, will he be welcomed back to the UFC after serving his suspension?

DW: Absolutely.

Q: You've said in the past that you need competition to exist because they help develop new stars. Two of your competitors, the IFL and EliteXC, are publicly traded and have shown significant losses as of late. When you hear about those reports, does that give you a sense of relief or a sense of concern because they won't be around to build new stars?

DW: First of all, the IFL isn't building any superstars right now. The IFL's model is stupid; the whole thing is going away. It doesn't concern me at all if the IFL goes away. They're not building any superstars -- that thing is just eating up air space on MyNetworkTV right now. I would have told you that it (IFL) was going to go away the first day it came out. I did, I told people if you want to lose your money, buy the IFL stock. I've always felt that way about the IFL.

These other companies? Yeah, I'd like to see these guys stick around. It's the breeding ground for up-and-coming fighters. It's a place where they can make some money so I'd hate to see them go away.

Q: You mentioned the IFL's TV contract. I recently read that it will be cut down to just one hour on Saturdays in the fall. They're going to be on during Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET and it turns out that nine MyNetworkTV affiliates have picked up UFC Wired at 7 p.m. ET. How do you feel about being a lead-in for the IFL?

DW: Oh my god. Seriously man? Just be honest. I'm always honest in my answers when you ask me and I'm the president of a major sports organization. Be honest, have you watched that f------ show?

Q: Yes, I do. Ever since they've changed production companies in July, I think it's been much improved. Before that, I thought the show lacked direction.

DW: Oh my god! If it was worse before than it is now (then) I can't even imagine. It's the worst thing I've ever seen. I watched it one time at Lorenzo (Fertitta)'s house for like 25 minutes, and we just kept looking at each other. It's the dumbest show I've ever seen. It's horrible. I can't believe that it's lasted this long.

Q: During the UFC 74 conference call, you mentioned you might be the problem standing in the way of a finalized deal with HBO. What specifically have you done that you feel has caused issues?

DW: You know, I want to do this thing the way that I want to do it. I have a very powerful brand, they have a very powerful brand and we're both trying to make sure that we protect our brand. So it's taken about a year longer than it should have.

Q: Is it an issue where the UFC wants to retain all control over production?

DW: It's a big part of it, yeah.

Q: Are there issues in addition to that that you can talk about?

DW: We're in contract negotiations with them. I can't be talking to the press what our issues are. (Laughs.) We've got enough f------ issues without me talking about our issues with the press.

Q: But you're still confident that a deal is going to get done?

DW: I'm very confident.

Enjoy!

theEmpiric · 09-04-2007, 05:23 PM

great read, thanks Chicago!

Dr.Chicago · 09-04-2007, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theEmpiric

great read, thanks Chicago!

No problem!

Glad you liked it!

2 things I really liked:

- GSP's next fight will be for the title.. possibly held in our Canadian brothers' land!

- Huerta will finally fight top-tier fighters!

2 things I really hated:

- We must forget about "Fedor in UFC"

- Pride is officially dead.. and no justified excuses were given by White!

Saskabush · 09-04-2007, 06:07 PM

I think Dana is bull****ting about the whole Fedor thing, he wouldn't tell us even if it had gone good and Fedor had been signed. The biggest acquisition in MMA history will be made a huge announcement, not a snippet in some jabrone's interview.

Dana not thinking Kang is a top fighter is also bull****. How are you going to place a top 10 MW on TUF? Kang must of screwed Dana's girlfriend, we are definitely missing something here.

CounterPuncher · 09-04-2007, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr.Chicago

No problem!

Glad you liked it!

2 things I really liked:

- GSP's next fight will be for the title.. possibly held in our Canadian brothers' land!

- Huerta will finally fight top-tier fighters!

2 things I really hated:

- We must forget about "Fedor in UFC"

- Pride is officially dead.. and no justified excuses were given by White!

Yeah I liked that GSP's next fight will be for the title, except that Hughes and Serra still aren't fighting for a while, so that means that we won't see GSP until next year sometime.

Toshinden · 09-04-2007, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CounterPuncher

Yeah I liked that GSP's next fight will be for the title, except that Hughes and Serra still aren't fighting for a while, so that means that we won't see GSP until next year sometime.

Yeah, that's gonna suck... but at least it gives Dana White plenty of time to secure a deal with a Canadian venue. I'd be stoked if they could finally get something to work.

StratTone · 09-04-2007, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr.Chicago

Five Ounces of Pain: Q&A with UFC president Dana White

Sep. 3, 2007
By Sam Caplan
Special to CBSSports.com

Life for UFC president Dana White has been stressful but exciting in recent months.

In addition to dealing with the fallout of failed steroid tests for Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk at UFC 73, White and the UFC continue to fight an uphill battle in resurrecting the Pride Fighting Championships in Japan.

Another source of consternation has been the fact that the fight promotion remains mired in protracted negotiations with free-agent Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko that have made little progress recently.

The UFC also encountered a wave of negative publicity following Renato "Babalu" Sobral's decision to hold a choke several seconds after his opponent, David Heath, submitted at UFC 74.

But the setbacks have been balanced out by a series of triumphs. The UFC formally announced the signing of Wanderlei Silva several weeks back. The signing leaves them holding all the cards when it comes to a dream match between Silva and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

White also recently announced that heavyweight contender Brandon Vera had signed a new contract and would be fighting again for the promotion at UFC 77 and that the UFC had made significant progress with former NCAA and WWE heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Through all the ups and downs, White recently took the time to speak with CBSSports.com, where in typical White fashion he addressed many pressing topics head on.

To be continued..

Dude Dana is the man!!! I just can't see how anyone would not like him.

Shpongled · 09-04-2007, 07:48 PM

I wanna know if it's true that he's talking about bringing back The Crow.

BRING BACK LOISEAU!

jmag · 09-04-2007, 09:23 PM

Crocop beat a very tired Barnett who had grappled for 15 minutes with Nog - I think a fresh Barnett would beat Crocop by take down and sub or pound, and aside from whatever personal crap he has with Dana, he would be a force in the HW division.

Saskabush · 09-04-2007, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmag

Crocop beat a very tired Barnett who had grappled for 15 minutes with Nog - I think a fresh Barnett would beat Crocop by take down and sub or pound, and aside from whatever personal crap he has with Dana, he would be a force in the HW division.

Dude CroCop beat Barnett 3 times!

I think the question of who is a better fighter has long been answered.

asronn · 09-04-2007, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmag

Crocop beat a very tired Barnett who had grappled for 15 minutes with Nog - I think a fresh Barnett would beat Crocop by take down and sub or pound, and aside from whatever personal crap he has with Dana, he would be a force in the HW division.

That's not the first time he lost to Crocop. Your over estimating Barnette a little. Its not like Crocop was fresh either

jmag · 09-04-2007, 10:52 PM

Ok my bad - I didn't realize he beat him before.

Saskabush · 09-04-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmag

Ok my bad - I didn't realize he beat him before.

No problem. I do agree that Barnett would be an awesome addition to the HW division but he is burning a lot of bridges.

fullonshred · 09-04-2007, 11:02 PM

As several here have said all along - DW had no plans at any time to operate Pride. His only desire was to gut it of talent. Now he compares those great fighters to "books" in a library.

Pitbull · 09-04-2007, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theEmpiric

great read, thanks Chicago!

Ditto.

Thanks for the post, Doc.

MTKrav911 · 09-04-2007, 11:24 PM

I still think Dana is dicking with us on Fedor. If memory serves there was alot of this he said she said nonsense when they were negotiating Cro Cops contract.