(“Hey, before we do this whole ‘speech’ thing, can we hit up Hot Topic? I need to pick up some age-appropriate clothing.” VidProps: YouTube/Ariel Helwani)
We figure all you academic types will be interested to know that UFC President Dana White got the chance to address the prestigious (at least that’s how everybody keeps describing it) Oxford Union Society at Oxford University this week while in jolly ol’ Londontown to promote UFC 120. We’ve been led to believe this is a pretty big deal, as such luminaries as Malcolm X, Mother Teresa and Ronnie Reagan have all given talks there. Plus, at one of the world’s most highly-regarded institutions of higher learning you’d think Big DW might face a gamut of thought-provoking queries about any number of interesting topics – i.e. the moral and sociopolitical implications of his work, the level of discourse in his field and the health and safety of the athletes he relies upon to build his fortune. Yeah … not so much.
Your first clue that White is in for a comfy, Larry King-style lovefest with his Oxford peeps is when he takes the stage and asks if the students in attendance are UFC fans and all of them but one raise their hands. Then some guy (an American, from the sound of it) stands up and asks a question that basically translates to, “Dana, how have you managed to make the UFC so awesome?” and we’re off and running.
Frankly, we expected a little more critical thinking from you, Oxford. After the jump, some highlights from DW’s fireside chat, plus he sits down with Ariel Helwani to talk about the criticism of UFC 120, why he’s still pissed about UFC 119 and how there can never be too much MMA on television.