Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports
The UFC 251 video promotes Dana White over three title fights
Self-awareness and subtlety have never been among Dana White’s strong suits. If you recall, White is the same man who told the Television Critics Association in 2013 that while the UFC was not yet mainstream it was somehow, at the same time, “bigger than the NFL globally.” White’s claim seemed to ignore the fact that the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 Super Bowl games were all viewed by over 106 million people globally.
The promo the UFC released for the upcoming UFC 251 fight card, which takes place on “Fight Island,” which is really Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates, a location the UFC has visited three times since 2010, is another display of the total lack of self-awareness from White and the promotion.
The two-minute video opens with news clips detailing how the coronavirus pandemic affected NHL, MLB, NBA seasons and forced the cancellation of March Madness before cutting to a moody slow-motion shot of Dana White’s back as the UFC president says in a voiceover, “Everybody is panicking, and instead of panicking, we’re actually getting out there and working with doctors and the government to figure out how we can keep this sport safe and how we can continue to put on events.”
For the first 45 seconds of the 120-second clip, the video is nothing more than a promotional tool for White, a way to make him look like a conquering hero of the sport world.
Not mentioned in the self-serving video is the fact that White and the UFC ran away from regulation and attempted to hold an event on tribal land that was only stopped when top executives from ESPN and Disney got on the blower and told White to “stand down.” Not mentioned in the video is the fact that the UFC scrapped several events because of coronavirus concerns. Not mentioned is that in the press to move forward, the UFC allowed fighters to travel to London for an event that never happened and that those fighters were not paid more than $20,000 for the inconvenience of the card being scrapped on short notice. Not mentioned is the fact that epidemiologists thought it was an awful idea for the UFC to move forward with fights.
The video then cuts to a shot of palm trees in front of a bright blue sky, as White says, “I have secured an island. We’re going to do all of our international fights on this island.” There is no mention of the fact that the island that White “secured” is an island where the UFC has held three previous events, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Then after close to a minute of blowing hot air into White’s already over-inflated ego, the voiceover finally mentions the fight card the video is purportedly promoting – UFC 251.
Let’s not forget, UFC 251 is not your normal event. It’s a fight card which features three title fights and a rematch between two former champions on the main card. UFC 251 is the type of event that needs nothing other than the fights to sell fans on its depth or importance. That the promo leads with White is all you need to know about the UFC.
The UFC could have spent the full 120 seconds of the video building on the importance of these fights. The UFC could have mentioned how UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is unbeaten in over seven years. The promotion could have sold how Usman’s opponent — Gilbert Burns — went from unranked in the 170-pound division to title challenger in under one year. The story of Alexander Volkanovski’s run up the featherweight division culminating with his one-sided triumph over Max Holloway gets ignored as does Holloway’s jaw-dropping run up the featherweight division.
Instead of focusing on the fighters, the focus is on Dana White and the UFC. White gets half the video. The six fighters in the three title fights get the back half of the promotion. That’s not a mistake. That’s the design. That’s the way the UFC has always operated. The fighters are not the most important part of the organization. The brand comes first, White comes second and then whatever interchangeable cogs that are competing that week come next.
The entire operation shows such a lack of self-awareness it crosses over into unaware and unintentional self-parody.