Tag: Dana White

Pat Miletich Discusses ‘Mixed Feelings’ About Zuffa-Strikeforce Purchase

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceWhen former UFC champion Pat Miletich showed up to fulfill his duties as a Strikeforce commentator at last Friday’s Challengers event in Stockton, Calif., he became part of a mini-reunion that he hadn’t planned on when he f…

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When former UFC champion Pat Miletich showed up to fulfill his duties as a Strikeforce commentator at last Friday’s Challengers event in Stockton, Calif., he became part of a mini-reunion that he hadn’t planned on when he first took the job, he told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

The event marked the first time a Strikeforce show had been run under the Zuffa banner since the organization was purchased by the UFC’s parent company in March, and as a result Miletich was back in the same arena with his former employers, this time in a very different role.

Miletich said he had “conversations, but not meetings” with Zuffa officials before the event, and while he was pleased with how things went, he admitted that he was not without reservations when he first heard the news of the monumental sale.

UFC Amping Up Live Event Experience for UFC 129

Filed under: UFC, NewsIn the weeks leading up to UFC 129, Dana White and Tom Wright, the UFC’s Director of Canadian Operations, have repeatedly assured fans and media that the promotion’s usual live event experience will not be compromised at its bigge…

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In the weeks leading up to UFC 129, Dana White and Tom Wright, the UFC’s Director of Canadian Operations, have repeatedly assured fans and media that the promotion’s usual live event experience will not be compromised at its biggest show ever.

However, until April 30 rolls around, how can we be so sure?

Well, MMA Fighting has learned that the UFC will place more than twice the amount of video screens present at a regular UFC event inside Rogers Centre. The UFC typically adds six to eight of their own video screens, depending on the size of the arena, in addition to the main scoreboard, inside the venue. That means there could be up to 20 video screens positioned around Rogers Centre on fight night.

In addition, and most interestingly, the UFC will be complimenting the stadium’s 108-foot video board with its own 100-foot screen on the south side of the stadium.

Dana White Supports Overtime to Take Draws Out of the UFC

Filed under: UFCThe UFC has already had two pay-per-view main events end in draws this year, with neither fighter getting his hand raised in the Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard fight at UFC 125, or the B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch fight at UFC 127.

UFC Presi…

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Dana WhiteThe UFC has already had two pay-per-view main events end in draws this year, with neither fighter getting his hand raised in the Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard fight at UFC 125, or the B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch fight at UFC 127.

UFC President Dana White wasn’t satisfied with those decisions, and he’d like to do something about it: Add overtime to UFC fights.

Talking to Stephan Bonnar on The Ultimate Fighter Aftermath, White was asked whether he would favor an overtime round for fights that end in draws, just as the fights on The Ultimate Fighter have. White said he thinks that’s a good idea.

The Truth About Fighting Your Friends

Filed under: UFCIf UFC president Dana White has said it once, he’s said it a thousand times: MMA is not a team sport.

It’s a sport that’s all about individual success and failure. It’s about two men locked in a violent struggle for money and status, a…

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If UFC president Dana White has said it once, he’s said it a thousand times: MMA is not a team sport.

It’s a sport that’s all about individual success and failure. It’s about two men locked in a violent struggle for money and status, and there’s not enough of either to go around.

This, of course, is the inexorable logic of the fight promoter, who stands to profit handsomely if he can convince friends, teammates, and training partners to forego all other loyalties and duke it out in the cage. But then, the promoter doesn’t have to actually get in there and knock his best friend unconscious.

As UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub put it, “This isn’t basketball. It’s not like Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird playing each other and being all buddy-buddy. Somebody’s getting fu**ed up.”

Ultimate Fighter’s Ramsey Nijem Reflects on Selection to Team Dos Santos

Filed under: UFCWhen Ramsey Nijem showed up to take his place as one of the cast members on Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, he was battling a case of bronchitis. So when the 14 fighters on the show were asked to work out for coaches Brock Lesnar and…

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Ramsey Nijem is a contestant on this season of the Ultimate Fighter.When Ramsey Nijem showed up to take his place as one of the cast members on Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, he was battling a case of bronchitis. So when the 14 fighters on the show were asked to work out for coaches Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, Nijem was operating at less than 100 percent.

So when dos Santos made Nijem the fourth choice on his seven-man team, Nijem breathed a sigh of relief — at least he wasn’t picked last.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Nijem discussed his thoughts on getting chosen to Team Dos Santos, what it was like hearing a speech from UFC President Dana White on the first day of taping, and what he thought about the first fight of Season 13, between Shamar Bailey and Nordin Asrih.

Nijem also talked a bit about his background and his recent work as a sparring partner for Jake Shields. The full interview is below.

The Anatomy of the Zuffa-Strikeforce Deal

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, Sports Business and MediaIn the end, the impetus to the surprising Zuffa-Strikeforce deal was not the UFC’s goal of world domination, or the expensive contract of Fedor Emelianenko. Instead, it was a b…

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In the end, the impetus to the surprising Zuffa-Strikeforce deal was not the UFC’s goal of world domination, or the expensive contract of Fedor Emelianenko. Instead, it was a ball and a hoop.

In May 2008, San Jose, California-based Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVSE) acquired a 50 percent stake in Strikeforce and became its major financial engine. The relationship helped spur the expansion of the upstart MMA promotion, but it ultimately came with an unforeseen cost. SVSE had long desired to bring an NBA franchise to San Jose, and as that goal started to become more attainable, SVSE found itself faced with a decision: Look over the continued growth of Strikeforce, or focus on its core arena sports businesses with an eye on professional basketball.

With that, Strikeforce was the odd man out.