SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When Cody McKenzie showed up for his UFC on FOX 9 fight against Sam Stout wearing basketball shorts, his boss was not amused.
But while Dana White wasn’t happy with McKenzie’s odd choice of attire, he was really mad at his crew for letting it happen.
“What that was, was UFC amateur hour,” said White. “We have a guy backstage who polices that stuff.”
More Coverage: UFC on FOX 9 Results | UFC news
Download MMA Fighting iPhone App
Making matters worse is that McKenzie, who apparently forgot to bring his fight shorts to Sleep Train Arena and needed to buy the shorts at a nearby sporting goods store, entered the Octagon with the price tag still attached.
“First of all, if its not bad enough we’ve got a guy out there with basketball shorts on, how about he’s got the price tag still on the shorts during the fight?” White asked.
It’s not the first odd thing we’ve seen in the Octagon from McKenzie, who lost a unanimous decision to Stout for his fourth loss in his past six fights. White’s come to expect it from the Spokane, Wash. native.
“Maybe he was going to fight in his jeans and he thought ‘maybe I should get some shorts,'” said White. “Cody McKenzie’s a strange dude. It’s not Cody McKenzie’s fault that happened tonight. That’s the UFC’s fault.”
For his part, Stout didn’t seem too bothered by the whole escapade.
“I saw Herb Dean rip off the price tag on his shorts, but I didn’t notice he had pockets,” Stout said. “Cody does everything a bit different.”
In case he hadn’t already made it clear, White does not expect his fighters to show up dressed like first-timers competing at a local bar.
“I could not be more embarrassed by this than I am,” White said. “It’s very, very embarrassing and very amateur. “