LAS VEGAS — As far as UFC president Dana White is concerned, the controversial split decision in favor of Georges St-Pierre in his UFC 167 welterweight title defense against Johny Hendricks was the Nevada Athletic Commission’s final straw.
“The state athletic commission is atrocious,” a riled-up White said at the post-fight press conference at the MGM Grand. “I think they need to step in immediately before they destroy this sport like they did with boxing. It used to be the best commission in the world. It’s absolutely incompetence. I’m f— scared to come back here and do fights.”
While White has complained about the commission overseen by executive director Keith Kizer in the past — on everything from the choice of referees to the decisions rendered by judges — White felt that the split decision in favor of St-Pierre belongs in the company of controversial calls made in the recent past in the sport of boxing.
First, Tim Bradley was given an unexpected decision against Manny Pacquiao. Then a bizzare score in Floyd Mayweather’s victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez prompted Nevada governor Brian Sandoval to step in and push out the judge involved.
“What more can I do?” White said. “Obviously when there’s a huge boxing fight and they f— up, holy s—, the world stops and we gotta fix this thing. Pacquiao lost that fight and it almost happened to Mayweather in a fight he clearly won. You know? I just don’t know what else needs to be done. Its unfortunate.”
White said that the company may need to reconsider how many events it stages in its hometown if changes aren’t made.
“We have a great relationship with the MGM, we have a great relationship with Mandalay Bay, this is our hometown, this is where we live,” he said. “And our athletic commission is the weakest commission in the country. When you start looking at next year’s schedule, how many events do you want to do in Vegas?”