Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
As if Dana White had any extra room on his plate for the month of April, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president now has to deal with a lawsuit stemming from an extortion case back in 2015, per a recent report by Las Vegas Review-Journal.
White, 50, has been named as the “part-owner of a well-known business” that was extorted back in 2015 after a cellphone video surfaced allegedly showing the UFC president having sexual relations with the girlfriend of Ernesto Joshua Ramos, a Las Vegas real estate agent and personal trainer. Ramos eventually tried to blackmail White and was caught by the FBI accepting $200,000 to keep the videotape under wraps.
The FBI ended up entering into a plea deal with Ramos, who was sentenced to 366 days in prison. During the court proceedings, the judge in the case issued a protective order that kept White’s identity secret, a move that the LVRJ called “highly unusual” in a 2015 report. Instead, the alleged victim was mentioned as “a Las Vegas resident with two minor children” and “part-owner of a well-known business.”
Ramos accused White and UFC attorneys on Friday of allegedly backing out of a non-disclosure deal in April 2016 that would have paid the man $450,000 to keep White’s identity a secret after the criminal case closed. The two men met again three months later — right before UFC was sold for over $4 billion — and Ramos claims White reneged and offered up nothing. Ramos is now looking for $65,000 for multiple breach of contract and good faith claims, as well as punitive damages
“The actions of White were fraudulent, oppressive and designed to encourage Ramos to plead guilty so he could negotiate a substantial settlement, which would prevent the disclosure of his actions at trial for the personal benefit of White and his related businesses and interest,” read the lawsuit.
The LVRJ was able to track down White for comment.
“I just found out that a bullsh*t lawsuit was filed against me yesterday. This guy went to federal prison for trying to extort me over five years ago. Now he’s hired a lawyer who is also a convicted felon, and he’s trying to extort me again for $10 million. He got no money from me last time and he won’t be getting any money from me this time. I look forward to the court dismissing this quickly so I can get rid of these scumbags forever,” said White.
This certainly isn’t the news White wanted to hear as he dedicates all of his time to salvage UFC 249 later this month, but the lawsuit remains a high priority at this time.
Stick with Mania for additional news on the case.