Tag: Danavlog

The UFC 177 Danavlog Asserts That Dana White Might Not Be Such a Sleazeball After All

Recently, UFC President Dana White was named the 8th biggest sleazeball in all of professional sports by GQ magazine, placing just behind War Machine and just ahead of Lance Armstrong. While we’ve had our barbs with The Baldfather in the past, even we think it might be a little much to lump him in with the likes of a woman-beating multiple felon and a steroid-abusing sociopath who built his entire empire on a throne of deceit and manipulation.

I mean, sure, DW may fly off the handle and do something detrimental to the sport every now and again, and he may treat any media member who has the balls to call him out for doing so like a hostile witness in a murder trial, but for the most part, he seems relatively harmless for a multi-millionaire in charge of (what was once) the world’s fastest growing sport, right guys? (*narrowly ducks beer bottle*)

Just take a look at the UFC 177 Danavlog — which grants us a behind-the-scenes look at the drama-filled evening of UFC 175 — if you don’t believe me. Whether he’s informing Matt Mitrione that his fight with Stefan Struve had been cancelled at the last minute, bitching out Joe Rogan for his infamous “f-up” during Ronda Rousey‘s post interview, or simply posing for photos with fans, White handles it all with the grace of someone who definitely wouldn’t drive a railroad spike through a dog’s head to intimidate a rival promoter, unlike some of his former peers.

Recently, UFC President Dana White was named the 8th biggest sleazeball in all of professional sports by GQ magazine, placing just behind War Machine and just ahead of Lance Armstrong. While we’ve had our barbs with The Baldfather in the past, even we think it might be a little much to lump him in with the likes of a woman-beating multiple felon and a steroid-abusing sociopath who built his entire empire on a throne of deceit and manipulation.

I mean, sure, DW may fly off the handle and do something detrimental to the sport every now and again, and he may treat any media member who has the balls to call him out for doing so like a hostile witness in a murder trial, but for the most part, he seems relatively harmless for a multi-millionaire in charge of (what was once) the world’s fastest growing sport, right guys? (*narrowly ducks beer bottle*)

Just take a look at the UFC 177 Danavlog — which grants us a behind-the-scenes look at the drama-filled evening of UFC 175 — if you don’t believe me. Whether he’s informing Matt Mitrione that his fight with Stefan Struve had been cancelled at the last minute, bitching out Joe Rogan for his infamous “f-up” during Ronda Rousey‘s post interview, or simply posing for photos with fans, White handles it all with the grace of someone who definitely wouldn’t drive a railroad spike through a dog’s head to intimidate a rival promoter, unlike some of his former peers.

As a matter of fact, maybe we’ve been wrong about ol’ Dana all this time. For Christ’s sake, look how he recently handled being called a bitch on Twitter. HAS SOMEONE HIJACKED YOUR SOUL, BALDFATHER?!!

Is it possible that Dana White’s not actually that bad of a guy, and that we’ve been the assholes this entire time? And by “we” I mean, like, the collective MMA community. Certainly not CagePotato. We are rebels without a cause and can therefore do no wrong. We’re cowboys, on a steel horse we ride. Wanted (Waaaanteeeddd!!) dead or alive.

What was I talking about again? Oh right, the UFC 177 Danavlog, which, true to Dana’s words, is one of the more powerful vlogs that has been released so far. In it, you will also find a heartbroken Matt Mitrione consoling an even more heartbroken Stefan Struve, Uriah Hall (rightfully) screaming like a bitch while having his broken toe put back in place, and a closer look at Ronda Rousey’s nasty gash. (I’m referring to the one she suffered in her fight with Alexis Davis, you perverts.)

Check it out above, then let us know if we should continue our War on Whitey (phrasing) in the comments section.

–J. Jones

The ‘UFC Fight Night 38? Danavlog Further Highlights MMA’s Need to Embrace the Instant Replay

The recently-released ‘Fight Night 38’ Danavlog, which contains behind the scenes footage from both UFC 169 and 170, has all the makings of a classic Danavlog: nasty cuts and bruises, fighters breaking down backstage, and Matt Serra ripping on Ray Longo for the black eye that Kevin “mixed martial farts” James gave him. Toss in some classic Ronda Rousey mean-mugging, and you’ve got yourself a D-vlog (as the kids are calling them) right up there with “The gang finds a guy asleep behind the wheel.”

But about six and a half minutes into the video (6:24 to be precise), there’s a moment that displays something more than the usual mix of heartbreak and hilarity found in Danavlogs and actually warrants further investigation.

Referees Mario Yamasaki and Yves Lavigne are giving Daniel Cormier and Demian Maia, respectively, a few last-minute reminders about the rules, likely in an effort to avoid a Sims vs. Mir-level mishap. While Yamasaki simply reiterates to Cormier that covering up does not count as intelligent defense (seems like he should’ve saved that speech for Pat Cummins, amiright? *self-fives*), Lavigne informs Maia that even if his upcoming opponent, Rory MacDonald, were to tap, Maia should continue applying the submission until Lavigne pulls him off.

“I have to see the tap,” says Lavigne, “If I don’t see it and you let it go, and if he says ‘I didn’t tap,’ we’re screwed.”

Now, this should be concerning for a multitude of reasons…

The recently-released ‘Fight Night 38′ Danavlog, which contains behind the scenes footage from both UFC 169 and 170, has all the makings of a classic Danavlog: nasty cuts and bruises, fighters breaking down backstage, and Matt Serra ripping on Ray Longo for the black eye that Kevin “mixed martial farts” James gave him. Toss in some classic Ronda Rousey mean-mugging, and you’ve got yourself a D-vlog (as the kids are calling them) right up there with “The gang finds a guy asleep behind the wheel.”

But about six and a half minutes into the video (6:24 to be precise), there’s a moment that displays something more than the usual mix of heartbreak and hilarity found in Danavlogs and actually warrants further investigation.

Referees Mario Yamasaki and Yves Lavigne are giving Daniel Cormier and Demian Maia, respectively, a few last-minute reminders about the rules, likely in an effort to avoid a Sims vs. Mir-level mishap. While Yamasaki simply reiterates to Cormier that covering up does not count as intelligent defense (seems like he should’ve saved that speech for Pat Cummins, amiright? *self-fives*), Lavigne informs Maia that even if his upcoming opponent, Rory MacDonald, were to tap, Maia should continue applying the submission until Lavigne pulls him off. “I have to see the tap,” says Lavigne,

“If I don’t see it and you let it go, and if he says ‘I didn’t tap,’ we’re screwed.”

Now, this should be concerning for a multitude of reasons…

#1: Holding onto a submission after an opponent taps is exactly what got Rousimar Palhares fired, if I remember correctly. (That he would sometimes hold onto subs after *the ref* had grabbed him could also be part of the reason he was let go.)

#2: “If I don’t see the tap, we’re screwed?” I’m sorry, but isn’t this the kind of problem that instant replay was/is supposed to solve?

We’ve previously argued that the addition of instant replay in MMA would create more questions than answers, questions relating to how/when it would used and how much it would affect the momentum or outlook of a fight. But a situation like the one Lavigne just presented is exactly one that could easily be solved by instant replay. Besides the fact that ignoring the tap all but contradicts the point of a tap in the first place, it seems rather risky to give such advice to Maia, a ground wizard who could easily end a career in such a span, of all people. If a situation arose where Maia claimed MacDonald had tapped and the “Ares” claimed otherwise (defying all previous conceptions of the Canadian Honor System in the process), it would only take a glimpse at one of the dozens of super slo-mo Phantom cams to determine who was telling the truth.

And if not an instant replay, then why not just a replay in general? (I refer to the Sakuraba-Silveria example noted in our previous article on the subject.) If Yves blew the call or thought he saw a tap that he didn’t, MacDonald shouldn’t have to file an appeal and maybe get the result overturned months down the road when the evidence is sitting right in front of all three of them mere moments after the incident occurred. Far too much emphasis is being placed on MMA referees, who range from highly experienced to unjustifiably incompetent even at the highest levels of the sport, and while an instant replay could slow things down from an excitement standpoint, there’s no need for our sport to continue acting like a referee’s call is the be all end all. Especially when…

#3 – Do all referees give the same pre-fight reminders as Lavigne?

There’s been a lot of discussion in recent years about the discrepancies amongst MMA referees when it comes to their understanding of things like what constitutes a “back of the head” strike, what constitutes “intelligent defense,” and what constitutes a tap (it just so happens that both Yamasaki and Lavigne have found themselves at the center of such controversies), so I ask: Do guys like Herb Dean and Big John McCarthy agree with Lavigne’s assessment? Or do all refs even give pre-fight reminders to the fighters?

In a sport that is plagued by inconsistency in the judging and reffing departments, this is perhaps the most important distinction to make. Because while a big part of MMA refereeing is knowing the limitations of the individual fighters you are presiding over, a bigger part of it establishing a set of guidelines that do not change from fight-to-fight.

I’m probably making a mountain out of a molehill again, but I just find it interesting that ignoring the tap has apparently become standard protocol amongst the sport’s best referees. What I’m trying to say is: BRING BACK PAUL HARRIS!! #Thrillofdafeet #RallyforPaulHarris #MikePierceisaDramaQueen

–J. Jones

And Here’s the Danavlog In Which Rony Jason Puts His Elbow Through a Wall [VIDEO]

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Last week, TUF Brazil 1 winner Rony Jason made dumbass headlines when he elbowed a wall backstage following his UFC Fight Night 32 loss to Jeremy Stephens, subsequently injuring himself and catching a suspension from the Brazilian MMA commission for unsportsmanlike conduct. It turns out that the incident was actually captured on video by Dana White’s personal cameraman, and included in the new UFC 167 Danavlog, which you can watch above.

“Elbowed a wall” is putting it lightly — Jason obliterates the damn thing with the kind of strike that would have been nice to land during the actual fight. The event staff immediately notices that he’s cut, and lead him away to tend to his wound.

Other than that, this installment of the Danavlog is filled with the kind of emotional post-fight moments and Baldfather hijnix you’ve come to expect from these things, although there is one more very notable scene. If you were among the people who thought that the Belfort vs. Henderson fight was stopped early — and Dan Henderson himself was one of those people — please skip to the 8:49 mark to see Hendo’s leg convulsing against the cage. Yeah. That’s a knockout, guys.

I’m actually a little surprised that the UFC would include such a grisly, unflattering moment in one of their official videos, but I commend them for it. This is the sport we love, and we all need to deal with the consequences.


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Last week, TUF Brazil 1 winner Rony Jason made dumbass headlines when he elbowed a wall backstage following his UFC Fight Night 32 loss to Jeremy Stephens, subsequently injuring himself and catching a suspension from the Brazilian MMA commission for unsportsmanlike conduct. It turns out that the incident was actually captured on video by Dana White’s personal cameraman, and included in the new UFC 167 Danavlog, which you can watch above.

“Elbowed a wall” is putting it lightly — Jason obliterates the damn thing with the kind of strike that would have been nice to land during the actual fight. The event staff immediately notices that he’s cut, and lead him away to tend to his wound.

Other than that, this installment of the Danavlog is filled with the kind of emotional post-fight moments and Baldfather hijnix you’ve come to expect from these things, although there is one more very notable scene. If you were among the people who thought that the Belfort vs. Henderson fight was stopped early — and Dan Henderson himself was one of those people — please skip to the 8:49 mark to see Hendo’s leg convulsing against the cage. Yeah. That’s a knockout, guys.

I’m actually a little surprised that the UFC would include such a grisly, unflattering moment in one of their official videos, but I commend them for it. This is the sport we love, and we all need to deal with the consequences.

UFC 164 Danavlog: Anthony Pettis Gets Pep Talk From the Boss, Josh Barnett Gives Props to Frank Mir and Much More

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Because there’s another fight to promote this week (tonight’s UFC Fight Night 29 in Brazil), Dana White has released another of his behind-the-scenes video blogs. This one looks back on UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis and lets fans in on some fascinating moments. Other than the first part of the vlog, where Dana chats with the Harley Davidson guys about customizing a motorcycle — skip past that stuff, trust us — this episode is low on fluff and big on intimate moments with the fighters who bled for us in Milwaukee. Some highlights…

0:00: If you can’t read backwards-English, the painting behind Dana says “Pay Attention Mother Fuckers.” Truly a man of pristine taste, this Mr. White.

1:40: “This is Fred Durst’s bike.” Wow. morganfreeman.gif

2:03: The camera locks on Ryan Couture backstage after his loss to Al Iaquinta, trying very hard to keep it together. This is the first of many glimpses at the often devastatingly quiet moments losing fighters on the card endured immediately after their fights. Always a bummer.

2:25: Matt Serra shows up to provide some much-needed comic relief, calling Dana White fat and saying Dana should stay dressed in slimming black until he “looks like Lorenzo Fertitta.” It should be noted that Serra, a former welterweight champion, probably weighs like 275 pounds at this point.

4:02: Ben Rothwell celebrates his win over Brandon Vera, unaware that he’s about to get suspended for nine months.


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Because there’s another fight to promote this week (tonight’s UFC Fight Night 29 in Brazil), Dana White has released another of his behind-the-scenes video blogs. This one looks back on UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis and lets fans in on some fascinating moments. Other than the first part of the vlog, where Dana chats with the Harley Davidson guys about customizing a motorcycle — skip past that stuff, trust us — this episode is low on fluff and big on intimate moments with the fighters who bled for us in Milwaukee. Some highlights…

0:00: If you can’t read backwards-English, the painting behind Dana says “Pay Attention Mother Fuckers.” Truly a man of pristine taste, this Mr. White.

1:40: “This is Fred Durst’s bike.” Wow. morganfreeman.gif

2:03: The camera locks on Ryan Couture backstage after his loss to Al Iaquinta, trying very hard to keep it together. This is the first of many glimpses at the often devastatingly quiet moments losing fighters on the card endured immediately after their fights. Always a bummer.

2:25: Matt Serra shows up to provide some much-needed comic relief, calling Dana White fat and saying Dana should stay dressed in slimming black until he “looks like Lorenzo Fertitta.” It should be noted that Serra, a former welterweight champion, probably weighs like 275 pounds at this point.

4:02: Ben Rothwell celebrates his win over Brandon Vera, unaware that he’s about to get suspended for nine months.

4:12: An emotionally shattered Clay Guida gets tended to backstage, before checking in with Chad Mendes, the man who just TKO’d him. Both fighters are gracious with each other before Guida walks off, but when the camera pans back to Mendes, it seems as if the Carpenter’s heartbreak has sapped some of the joy out of Mendes’s win.

4:43: Frank Mir‘s dad calls “BULLSHIT!” after Mir is TKO’d by Josh Barnett in the co-main event. Greg Jackson is as silent and motionless as a statue, standing with his arms frozen in the air — the universal symbol for “you fuckin’ kidding me, ref?”

5:12: Mir and Barnett cross paths backstage, and share a moment of candid discussion before going their separate ways. Mir thanks Barnett for the fight, and Barnett says “Thanks for actually asking for it. I think you’re the only person…in history who’s ever been like, ‘Yeah, I want to fight him.’” Barnett greets and shows respect to Mir’s father and cornermen.

5:35: Barnett breaks down his finish of Mir in great and lucid detail to someone out of the frame. He says that he could feel Mir breaking down and knew it was “time to kill.”

6:22: Beltless and nursing his damaged arm, Benson Henderson is consoled by his coach. So many feels, man.

6:54: Dana White congratulates new lightweight champion Anthony Pettis after his shocking submission win over Benson Henderson. Dana seems amazed at what Pettis has done, and gives him a mini-pep talk that includes an ominous warning about the title belt he now possesses: “You have no idea. Watch now. That thing makes all the fucking difference in the world. Trust me. Now that you’ve got that, you’re never gonna want to let go of it. Watch how everything fucking changes now. Trust me.”

– Elias Cepeda

[VIDEO] How to Spend Your Day Off, According to Dana White

You know, I may not have a fleet of G5 airplanes or an insanely successful, multi-million dollar company at my disposal, although I totally could if it wasn’t for my bum knee. I may not be part of a secret group of rich adulterers that smash the hottest trim in shanty towns across the globe, or show up to Hollywood premiers with Ronda Rousey on my arm — again, I’m blaming the bum knee. But despite all this, I take solace in the fact that — regardless of whether you’re UFC President Dana White or Skeeter the local angry drunk — as men, we all like to let loose in pretty much the same fashion. Mainly, getting our friends to embarrass themselves and blowing shit up.

So goes the latest Danavlog (seen above), in which The Baldfather grants us behind-the-scenes access to the one day off he gets each year. And oddly enough, DW doesn’t spend it getting a mani-pedi and eating veal that was killed in front of him like most of his fellow 1%ers. Instead, he spends it at his house in Maine with a few of his closest buddies, completing the redneck superfecta of hot sauce challenges, goat milking, skeet shooting, and hitting 125 mph on his dirt bike. Seriously, if White did all of this while slugging down Labbatt Blues, chain smoking cowboy killers, and demanding that Barack Obama show us his damn birth certificate already, I’d be convinced that we were born in the same town.

Then again, this is the same millionaire who willingly throws himself into mosh pits when he’s not cussing out members of the MMA media, so perhaps we should stop acting surprised when DW continuously defies our expectations for how the President of a major sports organization should act. Party on, Dana. Party on.

–J. Jones

You know, I may not have a fleet of G5 airplanes or an insanely successful, multi-million dollar company at my disposal, although I totally could if it wasn’t for my bum knee. I may not be part of a secret group of rich adulterers that smash the hottest trim in shanty towns across the globe, or show up to Hollywood premiers with Ronda Rousey on my arm — again, I’m blaming the bum knee. But despite all this, I take solace in the fact that — regardless of whether you’re UFC President Dana White or Skeeter the local angry drunk – as men, we all like to let loose in pretty much the same fashion. Mainly, getting our friends to embarrass themselves and blowing shit up.

So goes the latest Danavlog (seen above), in which The Baldfather grants us behind-the-scenes access to the one day off he gets each year. And oddly enough, DW doesn’t spend it getting a mani-pedi and eating veal that was killed in front of him like most of his fellow 1%ers. Instead, he spends it at his house in Maine with a few of his closest buddies, completing the redneck superfecta of hot sauce challenges, goat milking, skeet shooting, and hitting 125 mph on his dirt bike. Seriously, if White did all of this while slugging down Labbatt Blues, chain smoking cowboy killers, and demanding that Barack Obama show us his damn birth certificate already, I’d be convinced that we were born in the same town.

Then again, this is the same millionaire who willingly throws himself into mosh pits when he’s not cussing out members of the MMA media, so perhaps we should stop acting surprised when DW continuously defies our expectations for how the President of a major sports organization should act. Party on, Dana. Party on.

–J. Jones

Gross Video of the Day: Who Wants to Watch Dana White Get His Ear Sliced Off?

(Fight week, barf week. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Answer: Nobody. Not even you. Watching this video might seem like a good idea at the time, but once that scalpel goes in at the 5:18 mark and they start separating the damn thing from its hinges, you’ll be like, “nah, it’s cool. I paid way too much for that McMuffin to lose it now.”

The good news is, Dana White‘s surgery for Meniere’s Disease last week — in which a plastic tube was inserted into his left ear, which will allow excess fluid to drain — was a success, although the procedure won’t cure the condition completely. The UFC president will be back in action this weekend at UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson, as will commentator Mike Goldberg, who is returning from an upper respiratory infection.


(Fight week, barf week. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Answer: Nobody. Not even you. Watching this video might seem like a good idea at the time, but once that scalpel goes in at the 5:18 mark and they start separating the damn thing from its hinges, you’ll be like, “nah, it’s cool. I paid way too much for that McMuffin to lose it now.”

The good news is, Dana White‘s surgery for Meniere’s Disease last week — in which a plastic tube was inserted into his left ear, which will allow excess fluid to drain — was a success, although the procedure won’t cure the condition completely. The UFC president will be back in action this weekend at UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson, as will commentator Mike Goldberg, who is returning from an upper respiratory infection.