Dana White on Rivals, TV Deals, and More

da one enigma · 03-25-2008, 01:59 AM

I found an article published by the Boston Herald while I was browsing around. Pretty interesting read. Of course, with Dana White, love 'em or hate 'em, he doesn't hold anything back. To check out the source, click here:

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Quote:

Dana White has seen it all before. The UFC president is once again facing the advances of competitors that have left some wondering if the UFC is vulnerable. Don’t think White’s buying it.

White is unfazed by Elite XC’s broadcast deal with CBS or billionaire Mark Cuban’s foray into mixed martial arts. To White, it’s just the next wave in a line of competitors that have cropped up during the UFC’s eight years.

Like all of those who have come before, White doesn’t the new challengers to pose a serious threat. And, as is the case with most topics, White isn’t shy when it comes to sharing his opinion.

“The next company that was going to take me out has been coming for the last eight years,” White told the Herald last week. “Every time somebody puts something new together, it’s been ’Oh, these guys are gonna kick Dana’s (expletive) and put his ego in check.’ There ain’t anybody kicking our (expletive). It isn’t going to happen this year with CBS and Elite XC or any year.”

White was just getting warmed up. He went on to respond to comments made by Elite XC promoter Gary Shaw in a recent Yahoo! [YHOO] Sports article that said White’s ego prevented the UFC from landing the CBS deal, which calls for four live Saturday night shows per year.

“We’ll see who’s around in five years, me or Gary Shaw. There’s some ego for you,” White said. “The reality is I know what the (expletive) I’m doing and Gary Shaw doesn’t. If you go and search Gary Shaw and mixed martial arts (on the Internet), this guy was saying five years ago that mixed martial arts was a joke. (He said) it’s not a real sport, these guys are barroom brawlers. Now that fat, bloated (expletive) is running around acting like he loves mixed martial arts.”

As for Cuban, the boisterous owner of the Dallas Mavericks who has made some noise in the MMA world by trying to bring the sport to his television network, HDNet, White is a bit more reserved in his criticism. But make no mistake, White does not believe Cuban, who is trying to sign former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture, will be a serious competitor.

“I don’t dislike Mark Cuban at all,” White said. “He’s a smart guy and he’s made lots of money. ... And he’s invested millions and millions of dollars into (HDNet). He thinks that MMA is a hot commodity right now so he’s trying to get viewers. What he wants to do is build HDNet up and then sell it to Comcast or Time Warner or one of the other cable systems. He doesn’t give a (expletive) about mixed martial arts.”

While UFC continues to draw big ratings with its Spike TV programming and pay-per-view events, UFC’s failure to broker the MMA deal with CBS marks the second time in a year that the UFC has been unable to work out a deal with a major network. It’s not that networks aren’t interested in the UFC -- CBS certainly would have preferred to feature the premier MMA organization in the world over the less popular Elite XC -- but White is steadfast in his commitment to not making what he considers a bad deal for the company.

“It’s a lot trickier than people realize,” White said. “The reality is that Elite XC didn’t sign a deal with CBS, that’s not what happened. CBS bought Elite XC -- big difference. I don’t think it’s a great deal at all. I’ve talked to every network, including CBS. The thing is with me -- I say it all the time -- I’m not going to cut a stupid deal.”

The sticking point when the UFC’s talks with HBO broke down in October was control, something White has no intention of releasing.

“The bottom line is we built this brand without the help of anyone,” White said. “We built this thing from the ground up, and no one’s going to control our business. It has nothing to do with ego at all; it has to do with the business we’ve built and our vision for it. We’re going to do it our way.”

White believes the UFC is more committed to MMA and knows more about the sport than any newcomers.

“Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, this is what we do,” he said. “It’s all we do. It’s all we (expletive) care about. You can’t say that about these other organizations. These guys aren’t promoters. They see an opportunity and they’re trying to get their little slice of the big piece of cheese.”

Around the Octagon

White has been promising that the UFC will be coming to Boston, and it will be -- though not in the form of a major pay-per-view event, at least not yet.

Try-outs for “The Ultimate Fighter 8” will be held in Boston on April 10 at a site to be determined. ...

Part of the reason White is undeterred by what rivals are doing is that the UFC is hardly standing pat. Anheuser-Busch recently signed on to make its Budweiser brand a sponsor, and White believes that is a major step.

“The UFC has taken this thing to another level every year,” White said. “We just landed the biggest sponsor in sports, Anheuser-Busch. When you talk about sports marketing companies, they’re the biggest in the world.”

This deal comes a month after Harley Davidson signed on as a UFC sponsor. Both brands will be featured in the Octagon, with the Bud Light logo at the center. ...

The UFC announced on Thursday that Rashad Evans will face former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 in London. Evans, winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 1,” is replacing the injured Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the June 7 fight.

Twist of Suffy · 03-25-2008, 07:15 PM

I agree with a lot of the stuff here, espicially about Cuban how he just wants to make HDNet a big thing and sell it and make more.

Dana White on Rivals, TV Deals, and More

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