Tag: Dana White

Dana White Spurns Jon Jones and Calls Islam Makhachev the Number 1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter in the World

Dana White Spurns Jon Jones and Calls Islam Makhachev the Number 1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter in the WorldIs Dana White finally ready to admit that Jon Jones is not the No. 1 P4P fighter in the…

Dana White Spurns Jon Jones and Calls Islam Makhachev the Number 1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter in the World

Is Dana White finally ready to admit that Jon Jones is not the No. 1 P4P fighter in the world?

Over the last several months, the UFC CEO has found himself in some very loud arguments with journalists over Jones’ rightful spot as the best mixed martial artist on the planet. However, White recently turned some heads when he acknowledged reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev during his announcement of the Dagestani’s next fight.

Currently, Makhachev is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world with Jones sitting in the No. 2 spot. The ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ will have the chance to solidify his spot at the top on January 18 when he returns to the Octagon for a lightweight championship showdown with Arman Tsarukyan.

Their headliner at UFC 311 will be the second-ever meeting between Makhachev and Tsarukyan, the first coming at UFC on ESPN+ 7 in 2019. On that night, Tsarukyan made his promotional debut and came up short against Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege. Since then, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 with his most recent victories coming against Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira.

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Can Jon Jones take the No. 1 spot with a win over Tom Aspinall

Meanwhile, Jon Jones is fresh off his first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title, smashing through former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden.

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Immediately following the win, ‘Bones’ left the door open for a potential title unification bout with Tom Aspinall, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion. Jones has spent much of 2024 dismissing the possibility of a fight with Aspinall, but it seems like Jones is ready to sit down and iron out a deal with the organization.

Dana White Cancels Trip To Watch Fighter From UFC 308 Presser After Martial Law Declared In South Korea

At the UFC 308 press conference in October, undefeated fighter Dorobshokh Nabotov stole headlines when he made the most of his time on the mic. Speaking directly to UFC President Dana White, he called for an opportunity to prove himself inside the Octagon and after listing his accomplishments, he was called down from the crowd […]

At the UFC 308 press conference in October, undefeated fighter Dorobshokh Nabotov stole headlines when he made the most of his time on the mic. Speaking directly to UFC President Dana White, he called for an opportunity to prove himself inside the Octagon and after listing his accomplishments, he was called down from the crowd and onto the stage where he shook hands with the boss.

It was later announced that Nabotov would be offered the chance to fight on Z-Fight Night, the South Korean MMA promotion which is owned by MMA legend, Chan Sung Jung, AKA “The Korean Zombie”. The promotion is set to host it’s second event on December 14 in Goyang on the same night as the UFC’s final event of 2024 in Tampa.

White said that they would be attending the card in order to record a new episode of “Looking For A Fight”, a UFC series where White often travels alongside Matt Serra and Din Thomas to visit some tourist attractions, dine on some local delicacies and most importantly, head to a fight card that features a few interesting fighters. If Nabotov had looked impressive in his fight against Brazil’s Matheus Camilo, it’s likely that he would have been offered another big opportunity right there on the night.

However, travel plans have been changed as a result of what is happening in South Korea right now. On Tuesday, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, sending heavily armed forces into the streets which has led to significant protesting and unrest. Though opposing parties were able to cancel Yoon’s declaration just six hours after it began by voting against it, this difficult situation is still far from over.

In a post put up on the promotion’s Instagram, Z-Fight Night announced that White will no longer be attending their event as a result.

“Due to the declaration of martial law in South Korea on December 3, Dana White, who was scheduled to attend ZFN 02 on December 14, will unfortunately no longer be able to attend the event. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was looking forward to his visit. ZFN will do its best to invite Dana White to a future event. Thank you for your understanding.”

It appears that the event will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass so Nabotov will still have a big opportunity to impress people from the UFC that will be tuning in to see how he performs.

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: ‘Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded’

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Borz’ made…

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'

Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.

‘Borz’ made a pretty compelling case at UFC 308, scoring a quickfire submission victory over Whittaker. With the win, Chimaev moved to the No. 3 spot in the 185-pound rankings and appears to be well on his way to his first title opportunity inside the Octagon.

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However, the unbeaten Chechen monster may be waiting a bit after UFC CEO Dana White promised Sean Strickland the next title shot.

“Yes, [Strickland is still next],” White told reporters at a DWCS press conference in October.

White’s comments came weeks before Chimaev dropped jaws with his first-round neck-crank finish against ‘The Reaper’ in Abu Dhabi, leading many to suggest that ‘Borz’ be allowed to skip the line and walk straight into a scrap with ‘Stillknocks.’

Appearing on the MMArcade podcast with Jonny Roses, Whittaker echoed that same sentiment.

“I think [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus,” Whittaker said. “I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded, ever.”

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Khamzat Chimaev likely to face winner of ‘dDP’ vs. Strickland 2 instead of jumping the line

Following his win against Paulo Costa at UFC 302, Strickland made it clear that he planned to sit on the sidelines and wait for a rematch with Du Plessis. Clearly, Whittaker is not of fan of that strategy, but you can’t really blame Strickland for not wanting to put his spot at the front of the line at stake — especially after White confirmed he’s next.

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No official date for ‘DDP’ vs. Strickland 2 has been locked down. Originally, the promotion had hoped to take the sequel scrap to Du Plessis’ home country, South Africa. Unfortunately, it sounds like that is no longer the case after White indicated issues with locking down a venue.

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No matter where Du Plessis and Strickland decide to run it back, Khamzat Chimaev will be watching and waiting.

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: ‘Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded’

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Borz’ made…

Robert Whittaker Endorses Khamzat Chimaev for Next Title Shot: 'Sitting Out Shouldn’t Be Rewarded'

Robert Whittaker thinks Khamzat Chimaev should be the next man up for middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis.

‘Borz’ made a pretty compelling case at UFC 308, scoring a quickfire submission victory over Whittaker. With the win, Chimaev moved to the No. 3 spot in the 185-pound rankings and appears to be well on his way to his first title opportunity inside the Octagon.

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However, the unbeaten Chechen monster may be waiting a bit after UFC CEO Dana White promised Sean Strickland the next title shot.

“Yes, [Strickland is still next],” White told reporters at a DWCS press conference in October.

White’s comments came weeks before Chimaev dropped jaws with his first-round neck-crank finish against ‘The Reaper’ in Abu Dhabi, leading many to suggest that ‘Borz’ be allowed to skip the line and walk straight into a scrap with ‘Stillknocks.’

Appearing on the MMArcade podcast with Jonny Roses, Whittaker echoed that same sentiment.

“I think [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus,” Whittaker said. “I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded, ever.”

gettyimages 2180536853 612x612 1

Khamzat Chimaev likely to face winner of ‘dDP’ vs. Strickland 2 instead of jumping the line

Following his win against Paulo Costa at UFC 302, Strickland made it clear that he planned to sit on the sidelines and wait for a rematch with Du Plessis. Clearly, Whittaker is not of fan of that strategy, but you can’t really blame Strickland for not wanting to put his spot at the front of the line at stake — especially after White confirmed he’s next.

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No official date for ‘DDP’ vs. Strickland 2 has been locked down. Originally, the promotion had hoped to take the sequel scrap to Du Plessis’ home country, South Africa. Unfortunately, it sounds like that is no longer the case after White indicated issues with locking down a venue.

dricus du plessis

No matter where Du Plessis and Strickland decide to run it back, Khamzat Chimaev will be watching and waiting.

Dana White Bows Out of Politics After Donald Trump’s Victory ‘It’s gross. It’s disgusting.’

dana white done with donald trumpUFC President Dana White will not be continuing his efforts to support Donald Trump publicly now that the campaign…

dana white done with donald trump

UFC President Dana White will not be continuing his efforts to support Donald Trump publicly now that the campaign has wrapped up. The UFC and its stakeholders, such as Joe Rogan, were a cornerstone of the 2024 Donald Trump election, but Dana White is done with it all.

Dana White Done with Donald Trump

Dana White and Donald Trump’s friendship goes back some time. When the sport of MMA was outlawed at the turn of the century, most states did not allow the sport to happen. However, Donald Trump was willing to open his casino doors to the fledgling organization. Trump was once an enemy of the UFC when he was the shareholder behind rival MMA company Affliction, which was operated alongside Saint Petersburg’s M-1 and Michael Cohen.

But time heals all wounds because once Trump was back on the campaign trail, the UFC was there for him. Dana White would walk out with Trump during UFC events with the camera on him. On election night, White was alongside Trump and Elon Musk during the evening’s festivities. Dana White spoke that night and thanked Joe Rogan, UFC commentator for his vital support. Rogan welcomed Trump onto his podcast, which is the most listened-to talk show worldwide.

New York’s Donald Trump has an estimated net worth valued between three and ten billion dollars. Joe Rogan is said to have a net worth of $200m. Dana White has an annual salary of $20m and an estimated net worth of $500m with a partial ownership of the UFC. The rest of the UFC is owned by multi-national trillion-dollar private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Silver Lake Partners, along with Endeavor which is a sports and talent agency.

With the election campaign wrapped up, Dana White is done with politics. At a UFC event, alongside Donald Trump, White spoke to The New Yorker and explained:

“I’m never f*ing doing this again. I want nothing to do with this s*. It’s gross. It’s disgusting. I want nothing to do with politics.” White added some ring kissing just for good measure, “Donald Trump is tougher and more badass than anybody.”