Tag: Dana White

Dana White Blasts Nevada State Athletic Commission in the Aftermath of UFC 167

Dana White has never been one to bite his tongue, but these days, few things seem to get his blood boiling more than the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The UFC President has taken NSAC to task at every turn on a handful of issues, but the bulk of Wh…

Dana White has never been one to bite his tongue, but these days, few things seem to get his blood boiling more than the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

The UFC President has taken NSAC to task at every turn on a handful of issues, but the bulk of White’s ire has been as a result of the commission’s judge and referee selection for the promotion’s events that are held in Las Vegas. 

While controversial decisions, debatable stoppages—or lack thereof—is certainly nothing new to the realm of combat sports, the UFC figurehead appears to be reaching the end of his proverbial rope with the governing body. White has been at odds with NSAC for years, but the intensity hit a fever pitch in the aftermath of Saturday night’s main event welterweight title tilt between Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks. 

White, and a large percentage of the MMA media, had Hendricks winning the majority of the rounds, which should have resulted in the crowning of a new welterweight champion. But that’s not how the cageside judges scored the tilt, and St-Pierre took the split-decision victory and retained the title he’s held for the past five years.

Immediately upon the conclusion of the card, White ripped the judges at the post-fight press conference for robbing Hendricks of what should have been the biggest victory of his career. While the UFC head honcho launched plenty of verbal missiles during the press conference, the topic carried over into his media scrum, where he broadened his scope and put the commission itself on blast. 

With frustration obviously bubbling over, White declared action needed to be taken once and for all, even if that meant Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval stepping in.

“They have been very consistently bad,” White told the media in attendance. “It’s at the point now…when the Mayweather thing happened, the governor jumped right in there. The governor needs to fix this thing. I don’t know what the answer is, but the answer is to fix this problem. The problem is the judges and some of these referees. That’s the problem.”

“When the promoter is more concerned about the fighters than the commission…that’s a problem.  The commission is here to protect the fighters from me. I’m a promoter. I’m taking their money and making sure Georges St-Pierre wins because he’s our big money guy and screw Johny Hendricks. That’s what they are supposed to be there for. It is absolutely f***** insane when the promoter is trying to protect the fighters from the commission.”

“There is obviously some incompetence there, but there is also a f****** huge ego there,” he added. “There is a huge ego who would rather stick it to us than just do what’s right. There’s no doubt about it and I absolutely 100 percent believe that. And I think a lot of you believe that too. This is our hometown, where we live, and the athletic commission is the weakest in the country.”

While NSAC is under the microscope for the controversial outcome of the St-Pierre vs. Hendricks bout, problems with MMA judging reach far beyond the boundaries of Nevada. Inconsistencies with scoring have have occurred all across the globe and have brought the sport’s 10 Point Must format under scrutiny time and time again.

That said, with the UFC being based out of Las Vegas and the promotion holding a minimum of four events annually in “Sin City”, the battle between the organization and NSAC comes with a unique sense of urgency. While White doesn’t know the exact answer on how to fix the dilemma, if the issues continue to go on without being addressed, he believes the company may seek alternatives to holding events in their hometown.

“So when you start looking at next year’s schedule, how many fights do you really want to do in Vegas?” White said. “I think the governor of this state is very aware of what is going on with the athletic commission. Now it’s just a matter of getting it done. Getting in there, rolling up your sleeves and getting it done.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Post-UFC 167 News Roundup: Hendricks-GSP II, Koscheck’s Future, And More


(The pre-fight UFC 167 press conference. The belt didn’t change places. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 167 left a terrible taste in our mouths.

The card was exciting, and the main event, after the last round but before the decision was announced, seemed like it was going to be a passing of the torch. Instead, we got a terrible decision that overshadowed the celebratory atmosphere around the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.

Now, we’re left with more questions than answers. Here’s what we know so far:

Josh Koscheck suffered a brutal KO loss to Tyron Woodley. One might think that the UFC would let Koscheck go since he’s a 35-year-old on a three-fight losing streak and they’ve cut other fighters for less. Yet Koscheck is going to stay in the UFC, at least if he doesn’t retire.

Dana White said that Koscheck will not be cut, and also stated that he had a soft spot for TUF season 1 veterans (aww). However, White also mentioned that he received a text message from Koscheck which “sounded like retirement” but that sometimes fighters say things after fights, presumably things they don’t mean.

White, unhappy (an understatement) about the decision in the main event, also ranted about the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

“It used to be the best commission in the world…I’m fucking scared to come back here and do fights,” Yet, when pressed for specifics about how the UFC would proceed, White was mum. “What more can I do?” he said. “I just don’t know what else needs to be done. It’s unfortunate.”

Of course, the biggest issue we’re all waiting on is a rematch between Georges St.Pierre and Johny Hendricks. Will it happen?

Maybe.


(The pre-fight UFC 167 press conference. The belt didn’t change places. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 167 left a terrible taste in our mouths.

The card was exciting, and the main event, after the last round but before the decision was announced, seemed like it was going to be a passing of the torch. Instead, we got a terrible decision that overshadowed the celebratory atmosphere around the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.

Now, we’re left with more questions than answers. Here’s what we know so far:

Josh Koscheck suffered a brutal KO loss to Tyron Woodley. One might think that the UFC would let Koscheck go since he’s a 35-year-old on a three-fight losing streak and they’ve cut other fighters for less. Yet Koscheck is going to stay in the UFC, at least if he doesn’t retire.

Dana White said that Koscheck will not be cut, and also stated that he had a soft spot for TUF season 1 veterans (aww). However, White also mentioned that he received a text message from Koscheck which “sounded like retirement” but that sometimes fighters say things after fights, presumably things they don’t mean.

White, unhappy (an understatement) about the decision in the main event, also ranted about the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

“It used to be the best commission in the world…I’m fucking scared to come back here and do fights,” Yet, when pressed for specifics about how the UFC would proceed, White was mum. “What more can I do?” he said. “I just don’t know what else needs to be done. It’s unfortunate.”

Of course, the biggest issue we’re all waiting on is a rematch between Georges St.Pierre and Johny Hendricks. Will it happen?

Maybe.

At the post-fight press conference, an infuriated White claimed that he wouldn’t let GSP take a furlough from the sport.

“I want what’s fair and that wasn’t fair,” White said about the decision. “You owe it to the fans, you owe it to that belt, you owe it to this company, and you owe it to Johny Hendricks to give him that opportunity to fight again, unless you’re gonna retire…There’s no ‘Hey listen I’m gonna go on a cruise and be gone for two years,’”

During the post-presser media scrum, Dana White, though much calmer, no-sold St.Pierre’s problems.

“His problems aren’t as bad as he thinks they are. They’re personal problems…it might seem like the end of the world, but it’s not.” “He’s a strong kid. He’ll get through this…he wants to fight…I’m very confident he’s going to work it out.”

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden seems to think that the rematch is more or less decided upon, which is likely but nothing is official yet, so don’t bank on it.

 

Post-UFC 167 News Roundup: Hendricks-GSP II, Koscheck’s Future, And More


(The pre-fight UFC 167 press conference. The belt didn’t change places. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 167 left a terrible taste in our mouths.

The card was exciting, and the main event, after the last round but before the decision was announced, seemed like it was going to be a passing of the torch. Instead, we got a terrible decision that overshadowed the celebratory atmosphere around the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.

Now, we’re left with more questions than answers. Here’s what we know so far:

Josh Koscheck suffered a brutal KO loss to Tyron Woodley. One might think that the UFC would let Koscheck go since he’s a 35-year-old on a three-fight losing streak and they’ve cut other fighters for less. Yet Koscheck is going to stay in the UFC, at least if he doesn’t retire.

Dana White said that Koscheck will not be cut, and also stated that he had a soft spot for TUF season 1 veterans (aww). However, White also mentioned that he received a text message from Koscheck which “sounded like retirement” but that sometimes fighters say things after fights, presumably things they don’t mean.

White, unhappy (an understatement) about the decision in the main event, also ranted about the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

“It used to be the best commission in the world…I’m fucking scared to come back here and do fights,” Yet, when pressed for specifics about how the UFC would proceed, White was mum. “What more can I do?” he said. “I just don’t know what else needs to be done. It’s unfortunate.”

Of course, the biggest issue we’re all waiting on is a rematch between Georges St.Pierre and Johny Hendricks. Will it happen?

Maybe.


(The pre-fight UFC 167 press conference. The belt didn’t change places. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 167 left a terrible taste in our mouths.

The card was exciting, and the main event, after the last round but before the decision was announced, seemed like it was going to be a passing of the torch. Instead, we got a terrible decision that overshadowed the celebratory atmosphere around the UFC’s 20th anniversary show.

Now, we’re left with more questions than answers. Here’s what we know so far:

Josh Koscheck suffered a brutal KO loss to Tyron Woodley. One might think that the UFC would let Koscheck go since he’s a 35-year-old on a three-fight losing streak and they’ve cut other fighters for less. Yet Koscheck is going to stay in the UFC, at least if he doesn’t retire.

Dana White said that Koscheck will not be cut, and also stated that he had a soft spot for TUF season 1 veterans (aww). However, White also mentioned that he received a text message from Koscheck which “sounded like retirement” but that sometimes fighters say things after fights, presumably things they don’t mean.

White, unhappy (an understatement) about the decision in the main event, also ranted about the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

“It used to be the best commission in the world…I’m fucking scared to come back here and do fights,” Yet, when pressed for specifics about how the UFC would proceed, White was mum. “What more can I do?” he said. “I just don’t know what else needs to be done. It’s unfortunate.”

Of course, the biggest issue we’re all waiting on is a rematch between Georges St.Pierre and Johny Hendricks. Will it happen?

Maybe.

At the post-fight press conference, an infuriated White claimed that he wouldn’t let GSP take a furlough from the sport.

“I want what’s fair and that wasn’t fair,” White said about the decision. “You owe it to the fans, you owe it to that belt, you owe it to this company, and you owe it to Johny Hendricks to give him that opportunity to fight again, unless you’re gonna retire…There’s no ‘Hey listen I’m gonna go on a cruise and be gone for two years,’”

During the post-presser media scrum, Dana White, though much calmer, no-sold St.Pierre’s problems.

“His problems aren’t as bad as he thinks they are. They’re personal problems…it might seem like the end of the world, but it’s not.” “He’s a strong kid. He’ll get through this…he wants to fight…I’m very confident he’s going to work it out.”

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden seems to think that the rematch is more or less decided upon, which is likely but nothing is official yet, so don’t bank on it.

 

Dana White: 5 Biggest Rants from the UFC President

UFC 167 saw Georges St-Pierre defeat Johny Hendricks via a controversial split decision which UFC President Dana White, and many others, did not agree with.When Dana White strongly disagrees with a decision, though, he tends let everyone know about. La…

UFC 167 saw Georges St-Pierre defeat Johny Hendricks via a controversial split decision which UFC President Dana White, and many others, did not agree with.

When Dana White strongly disagrees with a decision, though, he tends let everyone know about. Last night was no different and at the post-fight press conference he let the attending media know he thought the decision was a disgrace.

White epitomises what it means to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve, and although sometimes he sensationalises versions of events, like last night, it is always entertaining. It also gives media types the quotes they need to make such post-fight articles worth reading.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 167: Dana White, Georges St-Pierre and the Sour Stench of Promoter Greed

At the end of his title fight with Johny Hendricks, Georges St-Pierre was not right in the head. Already looking like he’d repeatedly run his face into a wall, St-Pierre showed an even scarier sign of the damage he had sustained. In his corner, prepari…

At the end of his title fight with Johny Hendricks, Georges St-Pierre was not right in the head. Already looking like he’d repeatedly run his face into a wall, St-Pierre showed an even scarier sign of the damage he had sustained. In his corner, preparing to step back into the fray against the hardest puncher in his division, GSP asked a telling question:

“What round is it?”

After the fight, which St-Pierre won by virtue of a controversial decision, the distraught welterweight mentioned this incipient brain damage, admitting to having lost time in the cage that night. Struggling to put his words together, even apologizing to announcer Joe Rogan at one point, the champion seemed close to a breaking point.

Then, in a move that might have shocked the MMA world if his support team hadn’t hinted at it all week, St-Pierre decided to step away from the sport.

“A lot is going on in my life…,” St-Pierre said in the cage immediately following the fight. “I have to step away. Right now I have to go away for a little bit.”

To say UFC promoter Dana White didn’t take this news particularly well is an understatement of somewhat epic proportions. White was furious, directing his anger at the Nevada State Athletic Commission, reporters who scored the fight for St-Pierre and even the champion himself. Despite St-Pierre’s clear personal and physical struggles, White had only one thing on his mind: getting his unraveling champion back in the cage.

“Did he say he wants to retire? He didn’t say ‘I’m going to retire. I’m going to hang it up. It’s been great everybody. Thanks a lot for all the years. See you later,” a furious White said after the fight. “He said ‘I’m going to take some time off.’

“No…You don’t just say ‘I’ll take some time off, maybe I’ll be back, maybe I won’t.’ You owe it to the fans, you owe it to that belt, you owe it to this company and you owe it to Johny Hendricks to give him that opportunity to fight again.

“There’s no ‘I’m going to go on a cruise. I’m going to be gone for two years. I’m going to take a hiatus. I’m going to take a leave of absence,'” White continued, building to a crescendo of impotent rage. “Whatever the hell it was that he was saying. That’s not how it works. It doesn’t work that way.'”

To his credit, St-Pierre faced the press, and White, after the bout. And, though he wouldn’t reveal what was causing him so much pain emotionally, he did give a rundown on the toll the fight had taken on his body and mind.

“I just came out of a freaking war. The guy hits like a truck. My brain got bashed left and right inside of my skull. I need to think…I get very emotional,” the champion told the press after the fight. “My right eye became blurry. It’s still blurry right now. He punched very hard. He’s the hardest puncher I’ve seen. He hit like a truck. I was hurt. I’m not an egomaniac. I say it when I’m hurt. I’m hurt. He hurt me tonight. Look at me.” 

Immediately after the press conference, White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta cornered St-Pierre to try to convince him to return to the cage. Fighters are just bags of meat to promoters in combat sports, but St-Pierre is White’s lone remaining drawing card. That makes him a particularly important meatbag for the UFC. Something had to be done.

“GSP will not retire after that fight,” a defiant White told Fox Sports 1. “He owes it to the fans, he owes it to this company and he owes it Johny Hendricks to do that fight again.”

A decent human being would be worried about St-Pierre’s well-being, especially after a fight that left him clearly discombobulated. But it seemed like that was the farthest thing from White’s mind. No one at the press conference, except St-Pierre himself, seemed concerned about the gruesome beating he had just experienced or its physical and emotional costs.

There was only one question everyone wanted answered: How soon could they lure the reluctant champion back into the cage?

“His problems aren’t as bad as he thinks they are,” White told the press after his brief chat with the champ. “They’re personal problems…it might seem like the end of the world but it’s not.”

It seemed—right or wrong—that White had gotten his man. Order was restored in his fiefdom. St-Pierre is likely to come back to the cage, whether it’s the right thing for him or not.  

I’d hate to think that St-Pierre is fighting for fans or the promotion or anything other than himself and his family. He has a long life to lead after his fighting days are done. To give up even a little bit of his long-term physical and mental well-being is a decision no one should take lightly. And it’s certainly not a choice that should be made under duress.

The Octagon is the last place in the world for a man with problems big enough to cost him even a little bit of focus. St-Pierre clearly doesn’t belong anywhere near the cage right now. But we’ll see him soon enough. There’s money to be made. And in the world of combat sports, that’s going to trump safety and decency every time.

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UFC 167: The Card That Doomed The Welterweight Division


(A seemingly victorious Hendricks celebrates immediately after the fifth round ended, before the judges decision was announced. / Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

UFC 167 left the welterweight division in a violent tailspin from which it might not recover.

Heading into the PPV, the UFC trotted out the tired “If you were to build a fighter that could beat [insert champion], it’d be [insert challenger]” marketing formula. True, challenger Johny Hendricks‘ great wrestling and powerful hands were a great stylistic matchup against champion Georges St.Pierre‘s takedowns and iffy chin. But the MMA world said the same things about Josh Koscheck. His wrestling was too good for GSP to take him down, and since GSP couldn’t take him down, Koscheck would make use of his advantage in striking power. This, of course, didn’t happen. GSP jabbed Koscheck’s orbital bone into splinters for 25 minutes.

So why should we have expected anything else from GSP-Hendricks? GSP was the dominant champ. Hendricks was the Guy to Beat GSP™ of the month; a challenger who was, in reality, no challenge at all.

This fight was intertwined with another: Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler.

Do you think it was a coincidence that Rory MacDonald and GSP were fighting on the same card? The UFC was likely hoping for both MacDonald and St.Pierre to be victorious. Dana White could fulfill his sick fantasy of watching teammates fight, and the UFC would have a highly bankable future title fight: Georges St.Pierre vs. Rory MacDonald, the fight that sells itself. The biggest star (according to Dana) in the UFC’s history would fight his protegee over the holy grail of MMA: A UFC title. Dana White insisted before UFC 167 that the fight was going to happen.

But you know the saying about the best laid schemes of mice and men (and fight promoters)…


(A seemingly victorious Hendricks celebrates immediately after the fifth round ended, before the judges decision was announced. / Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

UFC 167 left the welterweight division in a violent tailspin from which it might not recover.

Heading into the PPV, the UFC trotted out the tired “If you were to build a fighter that could beat [insert champion], it’d be [insert challenger]” marketing formula. True, challenger Johny Hendricks‘ great wrestling and powerful hands were a great stylistic matchup against champion Georges St.Pierre‘s takedowns and iffy chin. But the MMA world said the same things about Josh Koscheck. His wrestling was too good for GSP to take him down, and since GSP couldn’t take him down, Koscheck would make use of his advantage in striking power. This, of course, didn’t happen. GSP jabbed Koscheck’s orbital bone into splinters for 25 minutes.

So why should we have expected anything else from GSP-Hendricks? GSP was the dominant champ. Hendricks was the Guy to Beat GSP™ of the month; a challenger who was, in reality, no challenge at all.

This fight was intertwined with another: Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler.

Do you think it was a coincidence that Rory MacDonald and GSP were fighting on the same card? The UFC was likely hoping for both MacDonald and St.Pierre to be victorious. Dana White could fulfill his sick fantasy of watching teammates fight, and the UFC would have a highly bankable future title fight: Georges St.Pierre vs. Rory MacDonald, the fight that sells itself. The biggest star (according to Dana) in the UFC’s history would fight his protegee over the holy grail of MMA: A UFC title. Dana White insisted before UFC 167 that the fight was going to happen.

But you know the saying about the best laid schemes of mice and men (and fight promoters)…

Robbie Lawler, a resurgent holdover from the earlier days of the sport, consistently beat Rory MacDonald to the punch and even floored the Canadian a few times en route to a decision victory. The next big thing’s hype train was officially derailed. Lawler’s nickname might as well have been “Kratos” since he battered “Ares.”

The main event didn’t go the UFC’s way either.

Georges St.Pierre did win, but in utterly undecisive fashion. GSP won via split decision, but even Dana White himself refused to believe that he won the fight. Hendricks neutralized GSP for most of the fight. Everything the various sales pitches said about Hendricks having the skills to match and even exceed GSP were true.

Yet we’re not getting the (highly profitable) rematch that follows many controversial title fight decisions. GSP announced a vague, pseudo-retirement after he fought, throwing away the welterweight division’s paddles as well as sending it up the creek.

St.Pierre was supposed to beat his “biggest threat ever” and look like an unstoppable superman who could only be bested by Rory MacDonald, a young gun and the one man who knew him best—a storyline so formulaic that it could’ve spewed from the power book of the laziest Hollywood hack.

If Dana White can’t force GSP into an immediate rematch (that happens within the foreseeable future), then the welterweight division will be rudderless. Should they book Hendricks vs. Lawler? Maybe Woodley vs. Lawler? What about Lawler vs. the winner of Brown vs. Condit? And does the UFC strip GSP of the belt? Or do they just create an interim title so they can market a “champion vs. champion” fight when he comes back?

But even if the UFC makes any of these matches, the division is now starless in the wake of GSP’s departure. The company’s biggest draw is gone, fleeing the sport after “winning” in name only. And judging from his skiddish, emotionally exhausted demeanor at the post-fight presser, he might not be coming back for a long time.

Considering the UFC’s suspect ability to create new stars, the future of the welterweight division as one of the UFC’s main attractions seems doubtful. The casual fans are going to leave with GSP, and the current welterweight cast of characters might not be able to get them back.