Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dana White slams the media for their coverage of UFC 249.
Dana White thinks the MMA media are in for a rude awakening in the coming weeks, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the global economy and destroy many small to medium sized (and some large) businesses.
The UFC president has put the MMA media on blast for allegedly trying to convince the Florida State Boxing Commission to cancel UFC 249, claiming that the media has tried to sabotage the event over health and safety concerns.
Speaking to reporters ahead of UFC 249, White said the media will be the most heavily affected by coronavirus layoffs and urged reporters to stop portraying the UFC in a bad light.
“The media calling, hammering these guys, ‘how can you let this event happen’,” White said about the media trying to cancel UFC 249. “Media who f-cking cover this sport. And I’m like, wait till they start getting laid off, right? If I can pull this off safely and everybody can still work, you guys can still have a sport to cover.”
Dana White on the media during this pandemic:
Watch the full scrum from @TheSchmozone @HelenYeeSports here: https://t.co/iLOoE92qJR pic.twitter.com/MJW347bpHs
— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) May 8, 2020
“You’ve got the guys that cover the NFL. You’ve got the guys that cover Major League Baseball. You’ve got the guys that cover the NBA, and then you’ve got the guys that cover MMA. Who do you think’s going first? I promise you it’s not the f-cking NFL guys, okay. I’m trying get this thing going and put on fights, and the guys who are supposed to be covering this sport, are calling and hammering the athletic commissions and the venues. I just can’t wrap my brain around that one.”
Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza recently tested positive for COVID-19 and is out of his middleweight bout with Uriah Hall, but UFC 249 will still go ahead as planned. The highly anticipated pay-per-view takes place on Saturday night at the VyState Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.