Tag: Dana White

South Africa’s Sports Minister Says Dricus Du Plessis-Headlined UFC Event In ‘Final Stages Of Negotiations’

South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie recently revealed that negotiations are underway for a potential UFC event in Cape Town, with Dricus Du Plessis slated to headline. The reigning UFC middleweight champion has been very adamant in his push to bring the promotion to his homeland of South Africa for the first time. His campaign […]

Continue Reading South Africa’s Sports Minister Says Dricus Du Plessis-Headlined UFC Event In ‘Final Stages Of Negotiations’ at MMA News.

South African sports minister Gayton McKenzie recently revealed that negotiations are underway for a potential UFC event in Cape Town, with Dricus Du Plessis slated to headline.

The reigning UFC middleweight champion has been very adamant in his push to bring the promotion to his homeland of South Africa for the first time. His campaign gained momentum after he secured the title with a hard-fought split decision victory over former champion Sean Strickland at UFC 297 this past January.

The push for the event seemed to lose steam as the UFC had already locked in most of its venues for the upcoming quarter. However, the topic gained traction again before UFC 305 last month when UFC CEO Dana White hinted that if ‘Stillknocks’ could defeat fellow African star Israel Adesanya, the promotion would seriously consider bringing an event to South Africa.

With Du Plessis’ impressive submission victory over “The Last Stylebender,” it seems his wish is finally coming to fruition. Positive developments have been steadily aligning, especially after White, during the Noche UFC 306 post-fight press conference, confirmed that he’s “very serious” about hosting a UFC event in Africa.

McKenzie Confirms Du Plessis As Headliner For Potential UFC Africa Event, Host City Remains Up In The Air

According to multiple media reports, the DHL Stadium in Cape Town is in talks to construct a temporary roof at an estimated cost of R30 million (around $1.7 million) in preparation for hosting a UFC event in 2025. The 55,000-seat arena was one of the flagship venues during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Following these reports, the South African sports minister recently took to X to acknowledge that they are on the brink of sealing the deal to bring Du Plessis’ next fight to Africa. However, he also noted that the choice of host city is yet to be finalized.

“I see news articles about @UFCfight of @dricusduplessis happening in Cape Town,” McKenzie tweeted. “We are in the final stages of negotiating for the fight to happen in South Africa. We have not been given the green light. We will know by the end of October, no decision of hosting city can be made yet.”

With the host city still up in the air, the question of who ‘Stillknocks’ will face in his next title defense remains equally uncertain. Rumors are circulating, with some hinting at a possible rematch against Strickland.

Alternatively, Du Plessis has also suggested moving up a weight class to challenge reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira — or perhaps Pereira could move down to face him, a possibility he himself has hinted at.

However, “Poatan” is already scheduled to defend his light heavyweight crown against Khalil Rountree in the main event of UFC 307 on October 5. Only time will reveal who will ultimately stand across from Du Plessis in the Octagon at the much-anticipated showdown on African soil.

Continue Reading South Africa’s Sports Minister Says Dricus Du Plessis-Headlined UFC Event In ‘Final Stages Of Negotiations’ at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley Let Dana White Down with ‘Flat’ Performance at UFC 306

Sean O'Malley Dana WhiteSean O’Malley has not only lost his UFC bantamweight title but also let down the man who runs the…

Sean O'Malley Dana White

Sean O’Malley has not only lost his UFC bantamweight title but also let down the man who runs the show: UFC president Dana White.

Sean O’Malley

Before the fight with Merab Dvalishvili, O’Malley promised an extravagant first-round knockout. He even went so far as to say that Dvalishvili could sleep with his wife if O’Malley failed to knock him out. Now, ‘Suga’ is licking his wounds and nursing his injured pride after suffering a loss via unanimous decision at UFC 306.

Furthermore, Dana White was very vocal about his former champion’s performance and admitted to being pretty disappointed in his young star.

Dana White opens up about Sean O’Malley’s performance at UFC 306

“He looked flat,” Dana White said at the post-fight press conference, speaking on O’Malley’s performance (H/T MMA Fighting). “He didn’t look sharp.”

In fact, ‘Suga’ struggled to land any significant damage in the fight, and it wasn’t until the end of the last round that he finally had a compelling moment. O’Malley landed a beautiful front kick on Dvalishvili’s body and hurt his opponent. Unfortunately, ‘Suga’ failed to capitalize on the moment and finish the fight. The horn would eventually sound, and the fight was over. Dvalishvili would capture his first-ever title with scores of 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 to land the unanimous decision victory.

“He didn’t look crisp until the last round,” White continued. “He hurt him with that body shot, and he knew he hurt him with the body shot, and he kept going in trying to finish. But I looked at the punch stats; it was like six in a couple of the rounds.”

UFC 306

At the end of the day, the tenacity of Merab Dvalishvili was just too much for Sean O’Malley. ‘Suga’ could never get rolling offensively because he was forced to constantly fend off the takedown or was too busy being controlled.

Now, Sean O’Malley has nothing left to do other than take time and start launching a comeback to reclaim his lost UFC bantamweight title.

Sean O’Malley Let Dana White Down with ‘Flat’ Performance at UFC 306

Sean O'Malley Dana WhiteSean O’Malley has not only lost his UFC bantamweight title but also let down the man who runs the…

Sean O'Malley Dana White

Sean O’Malley has not only lost his UFC bantamweight title but also let down the man who runs the show: UFC president Dana White.

Sean O’Malley

Before the fight with Merab Dvalishvili, O’Malley promised an extravagant first-round knockout. He even went so far as to say that Dvalishvili could sleep with his wife if O’Malley failed to knock him out. Now, ‘Suga’ is licking his wounds and nursing his injured pride after suffering a loss via unanimous decision at UFC 306.

Furthermore, Dana White was very vocal about his former champion’s performance and admitted to being pretty disappointed in his young star.

Dana White opens up about Sean O’Malley’s performance at UFC 306

“He looked flat,” Dana White said at the post-fight press conference, speaking on O’Malley’s performance (H/T MMA Fighting). “He didn’t look sharp.”

In fact, ‘Suga’ struggled to land any significant damage in the fight, and it wasn’t until the end of the last round that he finally had a compelling moment. O’Malley landed a beautiful front kick on Dvalishvili’s body and hurt his opponent. Unfortunately, ‘Suga’ failed to capitalize on the moment and finish the fight. The horn would eventually sound, and the fight was over. Dvalishvili would capture his first-ever title with scores of 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 to land the unanimous decision victory.

“He didn’t look crisp until the last round,” White continued. “He hurt him with that body shot, and he knew he hurt him with the body shot, and he kept going in trying to finish. But I looked at the punch stats; it was like six in a couple of the rounds.”

UFC 306

At the end of the day, the tenacity of Merab Dvalishvili was just too much for Sean O’Malley. ‘Suga’ could never get rolling offensively because he was forced to constantly fend off the takedown or was too busy being controlled.

Now, Sean O’Malley has nothing left to do other than take time and start launching a comeback to reclaim his lost UFC bantamweight title.

Dana White Is Not Happy with These UFC 306 Athletes

Dana WhiteUFC CEO Dana White enjoyed a successful night of business for the promotion at UFC 306 but wasn’t thrilled…

Dana White

UFC CEO Dana White enjoyed a successful night of business for the promotion at UFC 306 but wasn’t thrilled with the two top fights on the card.

Dana White

White organized an unprecedented live sporting event at the Sphere in Las Vegas this weekend. UFC 306 featured a little of everything; including live entertainment featuring state-of-the-art visuals and graphics.

UFC 306

UFC 306 included many exciting fights, including the lightweight brawl between Esteban Ribovics and Daniel Zellhuber. White awarded both fighters with the ‘Fight of the Night’ post-fight bonus.

While the leadup was superb, the two title fights didn’t live up to the immense pre-event hype. Merab Dvalishvili and Valentina Shevchenko earned the belts but didn’t perform excitingly in terms of volume and high-octane action.

White, a routine clamorer for jaw-dropping brawls, didn’t feel the UFC 306 title fights did a good job of introducing new fans to the sport.

Dana White isn’t happy with UFC 306 title fights

During the UFC 306 post-fight press conference, White gave a less-than-glowing review of the two title fights on the card.

“You can put on $20 million worth of production, but you can’t control the fights. They’re going to be what they are,” White said. “So I cannot let that drive me crazy… Our fanbase grew 69% during COVID. Some people probably tuned in for the first time, hopefully they turned off before the co-main event.” (h/t SportsKeeda)

Valentina Shevchenko And Merab Dvalishvili

Shevchenko and Dvalishvili both earned unanimous decision victories. White didn’t award post-fight performance bonuses to either title winner.

Shevchenko reclaimed the UFC flyweight title after back-to-back winless outings against Grasso. Dvalishvili ended O’Malley’s title reign by shutting down his striking and utilizing a wrestling-heavy approach.

UFC 306 made many memories at the Sphere. But, if White has any negative points, the two title fights didn’t live up to his lofty expectations.

Video: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Set for UFC 309 Fight Card at MSG, Dana White Says

UFC president Dana White announced Saturday during an interview with Complex Sports that UFC heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will face Stipe Miocic at…

UFC president Dana White announced Saturday during an interview with Complex Sports that UFC heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will face Stipe Miocic at…

Video: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic Set for UFC 309 Fight Card at MSG, Dana White Says

UFC president Dana White announced Saturday during an interview with Complex Sports that UFC heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will face Stipe Miocic at…

UFC president Dana White announced Saturday during an interview with Complex Sports that UFC heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will face Stipe Miocic at…