Dana White may need more than a background as an aerobics boxing instructor to save him from Vincent Kennedy McMahon.In March, the UFC President broke the news during an appearance on L’antichambre, a Canadian talk show, that McMahon had challenged him…
Dana White may need more than a background as an aerobics boxing instructor to save him from Vincent Kennedy McMahon.
In March, the UFC President broke the news during an appearance on L’antichambre, a Canadian talk show, that McMahon had challenged him to a fight in the UFC or at WWEWrestlemania, an annual event serving as the Super Bowl for professional wrestling.
The fight was quickly shot down by White, who claimed McMahon was “too old” to be fighting.
McMahon may have a flare for the dramatics, but he has shown throughout the years that he isn’t afraid to slap some baby oil on the old pythons and step into the ring.
Sure, a bout between McMahon and White would be an obvious train wreck, and we all should be ashamed of ourselves for even thinking it into existence, blah-blah-blah. Are we done party pooping yet?
The proposed fight would obviously rake in plenty of dough and steal a lot of attention from major news outlets. It couldn’t be any worse than some of MMA‘s other circus endeavors, including Randy Couture vs. James Toney and Hong Man Choi vs. Jose Canseco.
The bout is already catching fire with legends in both Boxing and MMA, who are eagerly stepping up to give their predictions.
Boxing Hall of Famer Mike Tyson, who has been involved with both the UFC and WWE, recently spoke with Ariel Helwani at UFC on FUEL TV and gave his thoughts on the boss vs. boss superfight:
“Oh, that’s a tough one. That’s a tough one because Vince is pretty big and tough and he got the wrestling moves down. Let’s stick with Vince in that one.”
One thing that has to be taken into consideration is the obvious gap in age.
White is sitting comfortably at 43-years-old as a middle-aged man, but McMahon, who turns 68 in August, is creeping well into his senior years.
Perennial UFC title contender ChaelSonnen believes McMahon is biting off more than he can chew in challenging White. In a post on Twitter, Sonnen predicted White would dominate McMahon in an MMA bout.
Perhaps McMahon is “too old” to be fighting, but how many men in their 60’s receive an opportunity to grace the front cover of Muscle & Fitness?
There will be those who ridicule McMahon for dishing out absurd challenges, but his willingness to put himself in harm’s way for the entertainment of others has earned him tremendous respect from many athletes.
During an interview with Ring Rust Radio, UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock gloated over McMahon’s ability to always step up and practice what he preached:
“Dana always talks and talks and talks, but I’ve never seen him do anything. I’ve saw Vince talk, talk and talk and he has done something. He has gotten into the ring. He has participated with the fighters and the wrestlers. I have not seen Dana White do that. I’ve seen him call out Tito [Ortiz], like they were gonna fight, and it never happened.”
For a small minority, this bout might have actually drawn up some competitive interest, but yours truly would have tuned in just to see “Vinnie Mac” do his patented strut to the Octagon with “No Chance in Hell” blaring in the background.
Perhaps White could even pull a Floyd Mayweather Jr. and pay for a rapper to bust out a few lines during his walk to the cage.
Snoop Dogg anyone?
It would be a dream to see White and McMahon put on a pair of four ounce gloves and step into the Octagon, but the UFC has nothing to gain from co-promoting with the WWE. The two worlds are separated for a reason. White works in the sports industry, and McMahon deals in the entertainment industry.
Unfortunately, hell would probably freeze over before this bout comes to fruition, and that’s the bottom line, ’cause Dana White said so.
Some things you want to leave on their own and appreciate. Mike Tyson sharing wisdom with Ronda Rousey, face-to-face, is one of those things.
No news was made in the above video, but its pretty freaking dope to hear Iron Mike impart some experience-gained wisdom to Rowdy Ronda. Also, there’s some symmetry here since Ronda might have the most snarling fight-night mug since Mike Tyson. Let’s hope no prison time or face tattoos are in Rousey’s future.
Some things you want to leave on their own and appreciate. Mike Tyson sharing wisdom with Ronda Rousey, face-to-face, is one of those things.
No news was made in the above video, but its pretty freaking dope to hear Iron Mike impart some experience-gained wisdom to Rowdy Ronda. Also, there’s some symmetry here since Ronda might have the most snarling fight-night mug since Mike Tyson. Let’s hope no prison time or face tattoos are in Rousey’s future.
An announcement was made Tuesday that FOX Sports 1 will debut this August as the network converts Speed TV into a new all-sports broadcast with a heavy UFC presence. FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will likely serve as the network’s answer to broadcast rivals ESPN,…
An announcement was made Tuesday that FOX Sports 1 will debut this August as the network converts Speed TV into a new all-sports broadcast with a heavy UFC presence.
FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will likely serve as the network’s answer to broadcast rivals ESPN, featuring many of the sports in their original programming line-up, including NASCAR, college football, professional baseball and many UFC shows.
The UFC will debut a new Fight Night series similar to their UFC on FX and UFC on Fuel broadcasts that will typically air on Wednesday nights from 8 to 11 p.m. ET.
According to the release from FOX, UFC Fight Night will kick off on Saturday, August 17 during the network’s debut week and then the series moves to Wednesday nights. Sports Illustrated reporter Richard Deitsch was at the press conference held by FOX and provided additional details about the new UFC Fight Night schedule on FS1.
The new network will also become the home of UFC Tonight, a weekly magazine show featuring hosts Kenny Florian and ChaelSonnen that will move to FS1 from its current home on Fuel TV.
FOX Sports 1 will also be the new home for UFC on FOX and UFC pay-per-view preliminary fight broadcasts that currently air on FX.
Fourteen UFC pay-per-view preliminary shows along with the UFC on FOX preliminary fights are expected to air on the new channel starting later this year.
FOX Sports One will also carry numerous past fights and the UFC library, which contains hundreds of hours of footage and events.
One question that still remains for the new FS1 deal is the future of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The UFC will be moving much of their live programming to Wednesday nights, while UFC on FOX and UFC pay-per-views will stay on Saturday. The Ultimate Fighter currently airs on FX on Tuesday nights, but it’s unknown at this time if the reality show will remain on FX or shift to the FS1 channel.
UFC officials said there will be more information available at a future time regarding The Ultimate Fighter when responding to Bleacher Report on Tuesday.
FOX Sports 1 will surely be in the reality show business, however, as they are developing a new series around former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson titled Being Mike Tyson, and will at some point likely feature a cameo from UFC president Dana White, who recently mentioned agreeing to appear on the show.
More details about the UFC’s involvement with FS1 will continue to develop over the next few months as well as the promotion’s place on a planned FOX Sports 2 channel that will take over for Fuel TV.
Recently, HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant retired from his position as color commentator for the network, leaving behind some very big shoes to fill. Many have negative opinions about Merchant, but he was one of the most erudite voices to call the fi…
Recently, HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant retired from his position as color commentator for the network, leaving behind some very big shoes to fill.
Many have negative opinions about Merchant, but he was one of the most erudite voices to call the fights for our generation.
He was bold, mainly because his knowledge of the sport was sound and he came from an era that understood that more often than not, it is the hard questions that need to be asked, not the popular ones.
Taking his place will be a host of other commentators, all of them special in their own way, which got me to thinking about the UFC and their team of two: Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg.
In the past, the UFC has seen fit to add a third to the team, lending the voices of Frank Mir, Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Jens Pulver and others to the mix and the results were good.
Given how the company is growing, there will be more chances to introduce additional talent to the booth and it is in the spirit of wonder that we give you a list of five men we would love to see as color commentators.
