If you’re thinking about pirating one of the upcoming UFC events, Dana White says you’ve got another thing coming.
In a recent post on UFC’s Instagram page promoting UFC 257, a fan commented that they couldn’t “wait to pirate the f— out of this.” The UFC president actually responded, promising that the company has “a surprise for you mother f—— this year.” In an interview with The Mac Life, White further elaborated on his feelings about pirates and illegal streamers.
“We’ve been one of the leagues that has been so proactive on piracy. And I love how cool and tough these guys act on social media. Let me tell you what, we’ve caught a lot of people. And let me tell you what they do: they cry. They cry and they beg not to be prosecuted and all this other stuff. We just overcame a huge hurdle in the piracy world, and we’re gonna catch some of these guys. I look forward to the crying and the begging. We’ll see how tough they are when they get caught.”
When the interviewer suggested that perhaps White was taking piracy personally, he insisted that wasn’t the case.
“Not at all. I’m just saying… listen, you’re a criminal,” White answered. “Listen, there’s a guy right now… if you go through my Instagram and look on all the comments, there’s a guy saying ‘DM me if you want to get the fight this weekend.’ He’s stealing peoples information. So people that are DM’ing him, he’s stealing their information. He’s taking your money from your bank, and charging your credit card. These guys are f—— scumbag criminals! Don’t listen to them!… These guys are scumbags, they’re criminals, they’re bad guys. DM them, see what happens.”
Piracy will be at the forefront of White’s mind in the upcoming weeks as the UFC builds towards UFC 257. The event will mark the return of Conor McGregor, perhaps the biggest mainstream star the UFC has ever had, and public interest has peaked. The limited number of tickets for the event sold out quickly, and streamers are sure to be looking to take advantage of the extra publicity. Whatever enhanced measures the UFC has put in place are sure to be tested, and it will be interesting to hear what, if any, punishments come from it.
Do you think Dana White will ever be able to stop illegal streamers?