Tag: Turki Alalshikh

Dana White vs. illegal streaming sites is proving to be one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history.

On September 14, the UFC will deliver one of the biggest cards of the year inside Sphere in Las Vegas. The unique setting has proven to be a real challenge for the UFC’s production team, but White has continuously promised that the event will be unlike any combat sports event before it. White also revealed that the budget for UFC 306 — also known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC — has exceeded $20 million making it the most expensive event in promotional history.

Ahead of the highly anticipated pay-per-view event, White spent a portion of his Tuesday night press conference to further threaten illegal streaming sites and those who pirate UFC events instead of forking over their hard-earned cash to partake in the festivities legally.

“Trust me, we know exactly how to combat piracy,” White said. “I will tell you extensively what we do, every event, but we go after piracy hard, and you saw a few years ago, we started prosecuting people. “That’s how you combat piracy. Start f*cking prosecuting people for stealing.”

Come and get it then Dana

— Streameast News Network (@StreameastNews) September 4, 2024

White’s comments got the attention of one of the internet’s most popular illegal streaming sites, Streameast, who basically dared the UFC CEO to come after them.

“Come and get it then Dana,” Streameast wrote in response to White’s comments.

Responding to another user’s comment about the promotion’s supposed prosecution of illegal streamers, Streameast suggested that White is telling tall tales in a hopeless attempt to deter people from watching PPV events through alternative sources.

“He’s desperate,” Streameast added. “Making up lies and praying it scares away a few hundred people from clicking the link.”

The site was far from done going in on White, bringing the ongoing debate over fighter pay into the conversation.

“There’s a difference between free and affordable,” the platform wrote. “Make Dana White’s net worth being over a half billion yet his employees have to pay for medical out of their own pockets make sense.”

“It’s time for him to pay the fans back and fighters more,” Streameast continued.

Dana White’s Anti-Piracy Comments Come on the heels of Turki Alalshikh’s call for the return of $20 PPV events

White’s comments about combating illegal streaming came shortly after Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, revealed plans to reduce pay-per-view prices for boxing events down to $15-20 in hopes of growing the sport and encouraging fans to purchase the events rather than pirating the cards.

“I dream of a PPV with a good price to make the fans happy and subscribe and get them to watch it legally,” Alalshikh told talkSPORT. “Usually when I see a high PPV [price], a lot of people go and watch the fight illegally, and this is not healthy for boxing and the platform.”

“What I will try to push is to have our Riyadh Season shows at less than £20 in England and less than $20 around the world. I would prefer to have one million fans subscribe and buy the PPV for $20 than less than 500,000.”

Over the last two decades, PPV prices have skyrocketed across the board with UFC events costing $79.99 a pop on top of requiring an ESPN+ subscription to order which will set you back another $10.99 per month. As for boxing, the upcoming clash between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga will cost you a whopping $89.99 + tax.

Alalshikh hopes to bring an end to the era where fight fans are forced to fork over almost $100 just to watch an event that, in all honesty, rarely lives up to the hype.

“The people go around it illegally because the price is high,” Alalshikh added. “In the future, this will not build boxing. If I give the fans good fights at a good price, then I will increase the fanbase.”