MMA journalist Nina-Marie Daniele came rushing to the defense of UFC CEO Dana White amid all the controversy surrounding Dustin Poirier’s fight with Benoit Saint-Denis on March 9.
On Thursday, the MMA media went crazy as Poirier himself broke the news that his UFC 299 scrap with Saint-Denis was no longer on the docket. Roughly four hours later, ‘The Diamond’ backtracked by claiming that the fight was still on and his initial post was a “misunderstanding” between him and his manager.
My fights off but still working
pic.twitter.com/DRG61CJySA
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 1, 2024
During the four hours in between when all hell was breaking loose, Dana White went scorched earth on the MMA media via his Instagram stories. “You media guys are such pieces of sh*t,” Dana White posted on social media. “Writing whatever click bait u (sic) can to be first and not right. This is why NOBODY trusts or likes you. Guilherme Cruz.”
Cruz, an MMA journalist who appears on MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, was the recipient of another direct insult from White after the UFC CEO seemingly believed that Cruz was the one who broke the Poirier/Saint-Denis news. “Hey Guilherme Cruz go f*ck ur (sic) self scumbag,” White added along with a screenshot.
Nina-Marie Daniele Comes Rushing to the Defense of Dana White
Daniel, a fast-rising journalist known online as Nina Drama, has developed a close relationship with the UFC and many of its stars, including former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland. So naturally, she came to the aid of White in a post on X.
“Oil him up Dana White! @danawhite responds to Guilherme Cruz via Instagram story regarding Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint-Denis fight potentially being cancelled #MakeMMAMediaGreatAgain.
The entire situation appears to be a grand misunderstanding. Cruz previously revealed that Benoit-Saint Denis and his team had no idea they were going to fight Dustin Poirier until Dana White made the official announcement online. That on top of his reporting of Poirier’s comments that the fight was no longer happening seemingly got back to White, making the UFC CEO think that Cruz was the one who had reported the cancelation to begin with.
It was yet another example of White flying off at the handle and belittling trusted members of the MMA media without attempting to understand the facts first. Specifically, that his own fighter is the one who kickstarted the media frenzy in hopes of scoring a better deal for himself while Cruz was simply reporting on it.