UFC legend Don Frye recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing drama surrounding Conor McGregor and the UFC.
During his appearance on “Submission Radio” this week, “The Predator” explained why McGregor is “spot on” i…
https://youtu.be/yPApjDZr5Yc
UFC legend Don Frye recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing drama surrounding Conor McGregor and the UFC.
During his appearance on “Submission Radio” this week, “The Predator” explained why McGregor is “spot on” in how he is handling the situation, while at the same time he predicts that UFC President Dana White is “throwing a fit.”
“I think he’s right. He’s spot on,” said Frye of how McGregor is handling himself. “I mean that takes so much goddamn time away from you. You’re hired to be a fighter not to be an interview, you know, or interviewee. You’ve got things to do. When you’re training for a fight it’s a 24/7 job, and if they got you doing more interviews and promoting than they do fighting, well then you’re not going to last long. You’re not going to have a long career.”
Frye continued, “How do I say this without being rude? I guess I can’t, so I’ll piss on it. You know, Dana likes everything his way and if he doesn’t get his way he throws a fit, and that’s what’s happening. You know, and Conor’s spot on, man. You can’t spend more time doing interviews than training.”
As Frye explains, while MMA has gone from a fight, to a sport, to a TV show, it’s still a dangerous competition, and one that should be taken seriously.
“This is a dangerous sport, okay? And the thing is, it went from a fight to a sport to a TV show. And it’s still a dangerous thing. And so you gotta prepare yourself for it, because shit, just training — if you’re in one of those fights and you’re not hurt, you don’t get hurt, it still takes two weeks to recover cause of all the hard training. But if you’re not training you’re going to get hurt.”
Read the full story here… It’s been a long and winding road leading to the official announcement of the UFC 200 main event. It was first confirmed last month as Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 2 in a welterweight rematch of their UFC 196 brawl, but that fight fell to pieces in a matter of
It’s been a long and winding road leading to the official announcement of the UFC 200 main event. It was first confirmed last month as Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 2 in a welterweight rematch of their UFC 196 brawl, but that fight fell to pieces in a matter of weeks. When ‘The Notorious’ refused to show up for his initial media obligations state side, the promotion decided to pull him from the event all together. The UFC 200 card appeared to lay in tatters, but then we were teased with yet another big announcement happening today.
Keeping in line with their mainstream takeover, the UFC appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America show today, hoping to break the news of the UFC 200 headliner. Present were UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, strawweight contender and DWTS competitor Paige VanZant, Chuck Liddell, Dana White, Jon Jones and current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier. As if it wasn’t big enough the promotion was taking over a full half hour segment of the ABC morning show, someone decided to leak a poster of the official UFC 200 main event fight a good 15 minutes before the announcement was made:
Dana White would go on to confirm the main event as Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones 2, although by that time every MMA fan and media outlet already knew this. Will a rematch between “DC” and “Bones” sell anywhere near as much as the originally planned Diaz vs. McGregor 2? It’s highly unlikely, but clearly the promotion is more willing to take a financial hit than appear to ‘set precedents’ for fighters to be able to avoid untimely press conferences in other countries.
UFC veteran Don Frye thinks Dana White is in the wrong when it comes to the Conor McGregor dispute, which has seen the Irishman removed from the main event at UFC 200.
McGregor refused to fulfil his press obligations ahead of the summer showpiece, whic…
UFC veteran Don Frye thinks Dana White is in the wrong when it comes to the Conor McGregor dispute, which has seen the Irishman removed from the main event at UFC 200.
McGregor refused to fulfil his press obligations ahead of the summer showpiece, which has long been anticipated to be one of the biggest occasions in the sport’s history, and his bout with Nate Diaz has been subsequently scrapped.
Speaking with Submission Radio (h/t Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania), Frye reckons the UFC boss must shoulder the blame:
When you’re training for a fight it’s a 24/7 job, and if they got you doing more interviews and promoting than they do fighting, well then you’re not going to last long. You’re not going to have a long career. How do I say this without being rude? I guess I can’t, so I’ll piss on it. You know, Dana likes everything his way and if he doesn’t get his way he throws a fit, and that’s what’s happening. You know, and Conor’s spot on, man. You can’t spend more time doing interviews than training. This is a dangerous sport, okay? And the thing is, it went from a fight to a sport to a TV show. And it’s still a dangerous thing.
Here’s Frye’s interview with Submission Radio in full, in which he also encourages White to seek a compromise with McGregor in order to get him back in the main event. *Warning, NSFW language*:
Previously, Frye, who fought seven times under the UFC banner in 1996, has accused White of having “ruined the sport”, per Sherdog’s Savage Dog Show.
Diaz and McGregor were set for a much anticipated rematch in the summer. The former sprung a big surprise to get the better of the Notorious at UFC 196, choking out his illustrious opponent in the second round of his welterweight debut. An immediate shot at redemption for the Irishman would have made for captivating viewing.
McGregor took to social media earlier this week to claim he was back on the card for UFC 200, although those suggestions were dismissed by White when TMZ caught up with him. Diaz himself then cast further doubts over this one going ahead, stating on Twitter that he’s off on holiday.
It’s a story that has hooked the attention of MMA fans around the world. FloSports’ Jeremy Botter summed up just how much clout McGregor has when it comes to social media:
UFC finds itself in a no-win situation. There will be pressures from plenty, like Frye, to reinstate the Notorious in the main event, and an undeniable temptation to give in to his demands when considering the lucrative benefits of getting him the bill. However, that’d be a lot of ammunition for those who accuse the company of pandering to McGregor as it is.
Either way, it leaves the preparations for UFC 200 in disarray. Many fans of the sport have been looking forward to the July date for so long and now, what many considered to be an underwhelming card already, has been robbed of its main event.
Frankie Edgar, who will fight Jose Aldo on the night, feels that had McGregor beaten Diaz last time out, this ongoing saga may not have existed, per ESPN MMA:
It’s going to be fascinating to see how things pan out between now and UFC 200. McGregor seems intent on playing games, stirring up the fans and heaping pressure on White to get him back on the biggest show of the year. Should other figures, like Frye, continue to side with the featherweight champion, it’ll be harder to resist for the UFC boss.
Still, White will maintain that every competitor has a duty to promote their fights, and McGregor’s own reputation has been forged by the platform the company has given him to build his cult of personality. Allowing a fighter to opt out of such obligations when it suits would set a dangerous precedent.
Following a week of back-and-forth drama, it’s safe to say that the ongoing feud between the UFC and recently ‘un-retired’ UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has reached a fever pitch, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t somehow be taken to an all-new level tomorrow. The drawn-out saga has many twists, turns, and details,
Following a week of back-and-forth drama, it’s safe to say that the ongoing feud between the UFC and recently ‘un-retired’ UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has reached a fever pitch, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t somehow be taken to an all-new level tomorrow.
The drawn-out saga has many twists, turns, and details, but in an effort to save you, our faithful readers, some time, let’s break it down in a (short as possible) nutshell: McGregor retired online last Tuesday, Dana White responded that McGregor was pulled off of UFC 200 and his rematch with Nate Diaz after he had refused to fly to Las Vegas for last Friday’s press conference, ‘The Notorious’ then tweeted he had worked it out with his employers yesterday, to which White responded that no such thing had been worked out, and McGregor ultimately remains off the card as it now stands.
He could most certainly end up on the card, as it’s been reported that having McGregor on the massive card would provide an economic boom totaling as much as $45 million according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, but it looks like the UFC is standing their ground on this one in an effort to no longer let ‘The Notorious’ call the shots. He’s certainly done plenty of that to this point, and it could also be argued that his desire and ability to do so is what got him in this sticky situation in the first place, as his move up a weight class to face lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos ultimately resulted in him facing and losing to late replacement Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
We’ll apparently find out if the UFC is truly booting him off of UFC 200 tonight, as MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani tweeted that fans looking to buy tickets for UFC 200 tomorrow (Wed., April 27, 2016) wouldn’t be forced to do so without knowing the main event:
It could be McGregor vs. Diaz back on the card, yet it could just as easily or even more easily be Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones II for the light heavyweight gold. But regardless of what UFC 200’s main event actually ends up being, at the core of the issue, it would seem that both sides have their faults in this bordering-on pointless and contrite rivalry between the world’s biggest MMA promotion and its biggest star. Let’s take a look at both points of view.
The circus act that is Conor McGregor media week rolls onward. While attending “Dancing With The Stars” to support UFC strawweight Paige VanZant in Beverly Hills, UFC President Dana White spoke to TMZ Sports on the possibility of “Notorious” getting back on the UFC 200 card. “We’ll get it figured out”, said White. “He’ll fight
The circus act that is Conor McGregor media week rolls onward. While attending “Dancing With The Stars” to support UFC strawweight Paige VanZant in Beverly Hills, UFC President Dana White spoke to TMZ Sports on the possibility of “Notorious” getting back on the UFC 200 card.
“We’ll get it figured out”, said White. “He’ll fight on 201, 202, 203 — whatever.”
McGregor sent the world-wide MMA media into a buzz once again after tweeting out that he had been put back onto the promotion’s blockbuster July card.
Happy to announce that I am BACK on UFC 200! Shout out to @danawhite and @lorenzofertitta on getting this one done for the fans. #Respect
McGregor thanked UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta for “getting this one done for the fans.” When asked why the Irishman would tweet such a thing, White seemed just as puzzled as anyone.
“I don’t know why he did. I still haven’t talked to him. We had a whole press conference about this. I just don’t know how more clear I can make it.”
UFC 200 was set to be headlined by the rematch between McGregor and Diaz after the Stockton native handed “Notorious” his first UFC loss back in early March.
McGregor, however, refused to attend a press event in Vegas to promote the event, claiming it would interfere with his preparation for the bout. White would then go on to remove McGregor from the card, stating the media obligations where not optional.
McGregor has yet to explain his most recent skeptical tweet, however it appears UFC brass is sticking to their guns and holding the Irish superstar off the historic summer card.
The UFC wasn’t kidding when they said that they would be heavily marketing UFC 200 and spend nearly $10 million in marketing. The kickoff for the media tours for fighters participating in UFC 200 have now taken place.
The UFC tweeted this morning that Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo are doing radio appearances in New York City.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/724971023637045248
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/724937043986530304
It is most likely that Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz would have been participating in these media appearances as well, but McGregor’s refusal to do so eliminated him from the entire card itself. Dana White has been adamant about the Irishman not being on the card and says that he should fight shortly after UFC 200.
The UFC wasn’t kidding when they said that they would be heavily marketing UFC 200 and spend nearly $10 million in marketing. The kickoff for the media tours for fighters participating in UFC 200 have now taken place.
The UFC tweeted this morning that Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo are doing radio appearances in New York City.
It is most likely that Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz would have been participating in these media appearances as well, but McGregor’s refusal to do so eliminated him from the entire card itself. Dana White has been adamant about the Irishman not being on the card and says that he should fight shortly after UFC 200.
