Dana White is a hero to most. Just look at what he has done for the sport of MMA, completely bringing it out of extinction and into popular existence. It is because of him, the hard core MMA fans can quench their thirst with 2 to 4 big events a month. I am one of Dana’s biggest fans, but lately it seems that maybe he has lost sight of his vision. Every other week there is something being said, from fighters speaking out against the UFC to Dana putting down other organizations, leaving you to wonder if Dana believes that MMA is apart of the UFC or if this the UFC is apart of MMA.
We all know the answer to this question, of course the UFC is a just a part of MMA! Then why is it when healthy competition, which drives the sport of MMA’s talent, popularity, and growth always completely put down by Dana White? Listening to Dana recent statements you would believe these other organizations are unworthy and unnecessary. Which is true….. if you do not care about the growth of the sport to its full potential! So what if EliteXCs’ Gary Shaw or HDNET Fights’ Mark Cuban didn’t invest in MMA 5 or 6 years ago, who would? MMA and the UFC was a sinking ship. Props to Dana for sticking it out at that time and somehow he pulled it off giving us the MMA of today. We all give Dana and the Fertittas that credit, but he just can’t take credit for the whole damn sport. So why does Dana continue to put down these up and coming organizations when the UFC is already recognized to have the most talent and the biggest brand?I can only answer with one or two reasons. Either Dana Whites ego has reached the size of his bank account, or his vision of the UFC’s growth has bled into his dream of MMA’s growth.
Let’s face it, we should have already seen the Randy VS. Fedor fight. The fans want it. The fighters want it. There is no undisputed Heavyweight Champ, leaving the division in need for it. If Dana truly was looking after the growth of MMA the fight would have already happened, and with UFC being the biggest and most powerful organization it would have happened on their terms. So a win win situation for all. Not only will Dana not co promote to allow a Champ to be named, he is tying up Randy in court not allowing him to leave the UFC to make this fight happen himself. Where is the growth of MMA in that reasoning. “If I can’t have it, then no one else can,” attitude does not boost MMA to new levels to say the least.
Along those same lines, if a fighter no longer wants to fight for an organization then he should be cut free. There are obvious contractual stipulations and repercussions, but in the end a fighter fights best where his heart takes him. The most recent and controversial is Randy Couture, some of his reasons for wanting to leave are the lack of respect, unfairness, and money. I have watched Randy through the years, and he is very respected in and out of the cage. There must be some substance to his allegations. Other fighters like Josh Koscheck, Tito Ortiz, the Shamrocks (Ken and Frank), and Andre Arlovski have all spoke out with similar complaints. With all the money the UFC has made in the past few years the fighter payouts seem very inconsistent, and in this area consistency seems key. Dana himself stated that you can’t make everyone happy. True. Though taking care of the fighters is most important. After all the fighters are the reason we watch.
The last area of concern with determining where Dana White head is at, lies in the coverage of the sport. Dana has done a great job with the Ultimate Fighter reality show, Unleashed, and of course the PPV events, but what about mainstream coverage. The sport of MMA has grown so much, that it’s imperative to have massive and traditional sporting event coverage. The first strictly MMA show to do this is “Inside the MMA” on HDNET. The show is similar to “Inside the NFL” which has unbiased A to Z coverage. Dana will not allow them to show any video footage from the UFC or WEC events. The news show instead has to use still frame pictures of the events. This just does not make since when thinking in terms of the growth of MMA. Can you imagine watching ESPN and the Dllas Cowboys refusing to allow any video coverage. Not only is “Inside the MMA” a strong news show, the fans are behind it, and also UFC and WEC fighters are behind it. Many of these fighters are actually are on the show. I believe that speaks for itself.
Don’t get me wrong, Dana White is a hero to most, including myself. He has brought this sport to life. I am a huge fan , but like many other fans, the growth of MMA in the right direction is the bottom line. I have never had to question the most powerful man in MMA, or his vision, until now. 2008 is a huge year for MMA. This year MMA is really stamping it’s brand into the face of American sports. MMA needs a strong leader, exposing the meaning of integrity and taking the sport to ultimate heights. Will it be the old Dana, or the new Dana? The only question left to BE answered is ” Will the Real Dana White please stand up?
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I do still love MMA and have...
March 31st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
well the UFC invented modern MMA did they not? they deserve the credit for it.
The UFC is by far the best org,they give us fights like Liddell vs Wandy.
Now MMA newbs are Saling EliteXC are better because they give us fights like Kimbo Slice vs 50 yr old tank Abbot.
Gary Shaw needs to **** off back to boxing.
Before he got his claws into MMA he said many bad things about MMA(not UFC) heres just one of them.
“the idea of having wrestling and boxing together where its not fake appeals more to the bloodthirsty scum of society,MMA is not areal sport and its certainly one I will never be involved with”
March 31st, 2008 at 9:16 pm
The UFC that “invented” modern day MMA was led by SEG, a completely different group of promoters, not Dana White and Zuffa LLC.
Nobody is saying EliteXC is better overall, but they are doing things that the UFC can’t seem to pull off these days and whether it has to due with desperation or a different business model, White is bothered. He’s got underlying issues that prevent him from working with others in the industry.