Tag Archives: Dana White

Dana Whiter speaks out

Posted by IJR News Staff on

Dana White: Hockey (Your Cool), Soccer (Your Not) And Helmets Are For Pussies

Dana White speaks his mind and lets the world have it as he sees it.

“I’m not a big hockey fan. But I respect how talented you have to be to play hockey. Soccer? That’s a whole other ball. Can’t stand soccer. It’s the least-talented sport on Earth. There’s a reason three-year-olds can play soccer. When you’re playing a game when the net is that big and the score is 3-1 (and that’s a blowout) are you kidding me? You know how untalented you have to be to score three times when the net is that big? Now back to hockey. You have guys on skates with crooked sticks and you have to hit a puck into a net that’s the same size as the goalie. And at any time someone could take your head right off your shoulders and it’s perfectly legal. That’s a real sport that takes real talent, speed and all the things you need to be a real athlete. Now fighting is a part of hockey and has been since Day 1. It’s part of the game. It is what it is. I think we live in a world now where everything has been so pussy-fied. When I grew up we didn’t wear helmets when we rode our bikes. We didn’t have car seats. We didn’t have all this stuff. Now things are safer and we should be safer but let’s not go overboard. Fighting’s a part of hockey. Period.”[Calgary Sun]

Now Dana was in Calgary to announce UFC 149, but in a few weeks he will be in Brazil to promote UFC 147 “Silva vs. Sonnen 2″. What do you think the chances are he will be getting some backlash from this statement as he tries to fill the 80,000 seat Rio de Janeiro soccer stadium in a country where soccer (football) is king.

Aldo headlines UFC 149 in Calgary

Posted by IJR News Staff on

MMA: UFC in Calgary

The UFC is going north of the border three times in 2012 with pay-per-view events in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, the UFC announced at a news conference on Wednesday in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

UFC president Dana White said UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will be the headliner at UFC 149 on July 21 in Calgary. Aldo’s opponent hasn’t been finalized.

“You know I want to bring a sick card here,” White said at the news conference. “We’re going to bring a good one here to Calgary, I promise.”

UFC 152 will be on Sept. 22 in Toronto and UFC 154 will be on Nov. 17 in Montreal.

White also announced that the rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will be held this summer at UFC 147 on June 16 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Think about this, the Chael Sonnen-Anderson Silva fight, I’m probably going to put my foot in my mouth again, and probably not supposed to be talking about this either, but I always do it so, this thing’s going to be in a soccer stadium in Rio,” White said. “This thing’s going to have over 80,000 people at this event down there.”

NOTES

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson of Irvine has talked a lot about his dissatisfaction with the UFC and his future with the organization in recent weeks. Jackson will undergo surgery on both of his knees in the next few weeks and then he’ll meet Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a rematch in October in what could be his final fight in the UFC.

Jackson said his issues with the UFC started when he decided to delay his fight against Rashad Evans following their stint as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” so he could playthe role of B.A. Baracus in the 2010 film “The A-Team.”

“I know I messed up the relationship by doing the movie over fighting Rashad Evans,” Jackson told Sherdog radio Network’s “The Savage Dog Show.” “It was my fault. I’ve got to keep it real. I did that. I messed up. I should have honored my contract and fought Rashad after ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ … Before that Dana and I was really cool. I was really cool with the UFC, Lorenzo (Fertitta) and everybody. We were all cool, but I messed up the relationship by doing the movie and I’m aware of that.”

Jackson said he has to think about his future and that’s why he is making music, movies, desiging video games and running his two gyms.

“You can’t fight forever,” Jackson said. “There’s no MMA pension. I’ve got a whole lot of other stuff going. I’ve got a lot of revenue coming in from other ways and I know that the UFC has opened up doors for that, but I was who I was before I even came to the UFC. But once the UFC got real popular and mainstream, it opened up a lot of doors for me and I’m thankful to the UFC for that. I’m just kind of (upset) about some other things.” …

Eric Prindle (7-1, 1 NC) and Thiago Santos (10-1, 1 NC) will finally meet in the Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament finals at Bellator 62 on Friday at 8 p.m. on MTV2 in Laredo, Tex. The rematch was scheduled for Bellator 61, but it was re-scheduled for Bellator 62 because Prindle was suffering from flu-like symptoms last week.

Bellator 62 also features the quarterfinals of the Season 6 Lightweight Tournament. Here are the matchups: Patricky Freire (10-2) vs. Lloyd Woodard (11-1); Lakewood’s J.J. Ambrose (17-3) vs. Brent Weedman (18-7-1); Rick Hawn (11-1) vs. Ricardo Tirloni (14-1); and Thiago Michel Pereira Silva (9-2) vs. Rene Nazare (10-1). …

Francisco Rivera (7-2) of Buena Park faces Casey Olson (14-3) of Fresno for the vacant Tachi Palace Fights bantamweight title at Tachi Palace Fights 13 on May 10 at Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore.

Following baack-to-back losses to Erik Koch at WEC 52 and Reuben Duran at “The Ultimate Fighter 13″ Finale, Rivera closed out 2011 with a 40-second knockout of Brad McDonald. …

Jake Ellenberger (27-5) will go toe-to-toe with Martin Kampmann (19-5) in the main event of “The Ultimate Fighter 15″ Finale on June 1 on FX in Las Vegas, the UFC announced on Wednesday.

Ellenberger has recorded six consecutive victories inside the octagon. Following razor-thin decision losses to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez, Kampmann scored a unanimous decision over Rick Story and he recorded a come-from-behind submission over Thiago Alves in his past two fights. …

FIGHT OF THE WEEK

Eric Prindle vs. Thiago Santos

When: Friday, 8 p.m.

Where: Laredo Energy Center, Laredo, Tex.

TV: MTV2

Outlook: After a week delay because Prindle (7-1, 1 NC) was suffering from flu-like symptoms, Prindle, a 6-5, 265-pounder, and Santos (10-1, 1 NC), a 6-3, 265-pounder, will finally hook up to determine Bellator’s Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament champion.

Prediction: Prindle is a dangerous puncher with one-punch KO power, but Santos is more versatile. Santos can bang and he has a very good submission game. Santos will take the Heavyweight Tournament title.

Record in 2012 predictions: 4-4

Silva-Sonnen in Rio

Posted by IJR News Staff on

Dana White: Rio de Janeiro Soccer Stadium to Host Silva-Sonnen 2

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Mar 21, 2012 - The much-anticipated Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rematch will take place inside a Rio DE Janeiro soccer stadium, Dana White announced at a UFC 149press conference in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Wednesday. The UFC president added that the event will take place in front of 80,000 fans.

White did not specify which venue in Rio would host the card or the date, but sources close to the event have confirmed with MMAFighting.com that it is expected to take place on either June 16 or June 23.

Originally, Silva vs. Sonnen 2 was slated for Sao Paulo, but the organization ran into issues booking a venue in that city, so it appears as though they’ll be returning to Rio for the third time in 10 months.

Interestingly enough, on Tuesday’s episode of UFC Tonight on FUEL TV, Sonnen said he had yet to sign a contract for the rematch. Of course, Silva (31-4) defeated Sonnen (27-11-1) via triangle armbar at UFC 117 in Aug. 2010.

UFC 46 agreed on heavyweight bouts

Posted by IJR News Staff on

Heavyweights to headline UFC 46

Ufc_MMabay_image

The UFC 146 fight card is shaping up to be the biggest ever – literally – as the UFC announced today that for the first time ever, all five bouts on the main card will feature heavyweight fights.

The latest addition to that roster comes as verbal agreements are in for a matchup between the UFC’s tallest fighter and one of its hardest hitters: Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve takes on Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt.

The event is headlined by a title fight between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, with a contender’s bout in the comain event between former champions Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir. Also on the main card are heavyweights Roy Nelson vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane Del Rosario.

At the other end of the weight division spectrum, another former champion will return to action as WEC featherweight kingpin, Mike Brown, will be taking on Daniel Pineda.

“Pineda is developing as a serious contender as he will be looking for his third stoppage in the Octagon in only 5 months and riding an almost 2 year unbeaten streak,” said UFC president Dana White. “This will be toughest test of his career, dealing with Brown’s experience, power and submission prowess.”

Two Heavyweight Bouts Added to Dos Santos vs. Reem Card updated March 6
Besides the heavyweight headliner of Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem, two more battles between big guys will go down at UFC 146.

Verbal agreements are in for a number-one contender match between former UFC heavyweight championsFrank Mir and Cain Velasquez, confirmed UFC president Dana White today.

Plus, former Strikeforce heavyweight star Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has verbally agreed to make his UFC debut against Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Silva logged wins over Andrei Arlovski, Mike Kyle and Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce and Nelson has wins over Brendan Schaub, Stefan Struve and Mirko Cro Copand got Fight of the Night in his last fight against Fabricio Werdum.

Dos Santos-Overeem Set for MGM Grand May 26 updated March 6
The biggest heavyweight fight of 2012 will land at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 26th, as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos defends his title for the first time in the main event of UFC 146 against former Strikeforce and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem. Ticket information will be announced soon.

Five Bouts Added to Stacked UFC 146 Card updated February 22
May 26th’s UFC 146 card in Las Vegas is starting to take shape with a five more stellar bouts designed to kick off the Summer of 2012 in style.

In a matchup of welterweight strikers, Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy returns to battle veteran Duane “Bang” Ludwig, and the fists are likely to be flying as well in heavyweight action, as former Strikeforce big manShane Del Rosario puts his unbeaten record on the line against former world title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga.

Plus, Ultimate Fighter season 14 winner Diego Brandao makes his first start since winning the show, as he takes on Darren Elkins in a featherweight matchup; Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann puts his five fight winning streak up for grabs against British submission specialist Paul Sass in lightweight action; and longtime standout Glover Teixeira makes his highly-anticipated UFC debut in a light heavyweight bout against Kyle Kingsbury.

All bouts have been verbally agreed to.

UFC Forrest Griifen loss to Rua blamed on Pepto Bismol & Wife’s labor

Posted by GC on

Though last night was a joyous occasion for the Brazilians who headlined UFC 134, it proved to be a rotten ending to a rotten week for former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

Griffin took on fellow former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a rematch for the co-main event of the landmark card and was easily dispatched by the dynamic Brazilian within the very first round. It took Shogun just under two minutes to put Griffin away with a hard right hook and some follow up ground and pound, leaving the sardonic American unconscious on the canvas.

“It’s just setting in,” Griffin said of the defeat at the post-fight press conference (which he was the only non-Brazilian to attend). “I think that’s a fight where I definitely could have done a lot better. So, it sucks when you do poorly at your job.”

Griffin made it clear during fight week that traveling to Brazil was an inconvenience, at least. He couldn’t find the food or medicine (apparently he needed Pepto Bismol at some point) he needed, his sleep schedule was off and he’s a guy that doesn’t like leaving his home in Las Vegas anyway. Add to that the fact that his wife was pregnant to burst and you’ve got a fighter who was ready to be anywhere but Rio once the curtain closed on UFC 134.

UFC president Dana White thanked Griffin profusely for taking the fight in spite of all this and revealed at the post-fight presser that his wife had gone into labor early, so the UFC would be rushing him to Vegas as soon as they could. Though he appreciated the round of applause he got from the gathered media, he admitted that he wouldn’t have taken the fight if he’d known his wife would go into labor early.

“If I had known it was going to work out like this, I would not have taken the fight,” Griffin said. “I was supposed to have nine more days.”

UFC 134 Brazil is a major success, results

Posted by GC on

UFC 134: “Silva vs. Okami” took place on Saturday night from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Below are quick-match results from the event.

PPV Fights

-Anderson Silva def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 2.
-Mauricio “Shogun” Rua def. Forrest Griffin via KO (punches) at 1:53 of Round 1.
-Edson Barboza def. Ross Pearson via Split Decision after 3 Rounds.
-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Brendan Schaub via KO (punches) at 3:09 of Round 1.
-Stanislav Nedkov def. Luiz Cane via TKO (punches) at 4:20 of Round 1.

Spike TV Fights

-Thiago Tavares def. Spencer Fisher via TKO (punches) at 2:51 of Round 2.
-Rousimar Palhares def. Dan Miller via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.

Facebook.com Fights

-Paulo Thiago def. David Mitchell via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.
-Raphael Assuncao def. Johnny Eduardo via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.
-Erick Silva def. Luis Ramos via TKO (punches) at 0:40 of Round 1.
-Yuri Alcantara def. Felipe Arantes via Unanimous Decision after 3 Rounds.
-Yves Jabouin def. Ian Loveland via Split Decision after 3 Rounds.

GSP Talks Nick Diaz & His Ridiculous Trash Talking

Posted by GC on

The UFC brought out it’s big guns to announced its new Fox network deal. The company’s “A-List” in attendance included not only UFC president Dana White, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, and UFC VP Chuck Liddell, but also fighters such as Georges St-Pierre (Watch Video), Frankie Edgar, and Rashad Evans.

All of them are excited for the fruits that will soon be coming their and the UFC’s way because of this landmark TV deal, but UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre actually had a lot more to say about his next opponent, former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz, than the broadcast agreement.

Diaz has a knack for getting under his opponent’s skin, and although GSP pride’s himself on not getting overly emotional about his fights, he had to admit that he feels somewhat disrespected by Diaz’s comments that the UFC champ was ducking him.

St-Pierre and Diaz will square off on Oct. 29 at UFC 137

UFC Live Five & Bonuses

Posted by GC on

By MATT BOONE
MMANEWS.CO Staff Writer

The “Fight of the night” bonuses were announced during the UFC Live 5 post-fight press conference by company president Dana White on Sunday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Leading the pack with a double-bonus of $130,000 for both “Submission of the Night” and co-winner of “Fight Of The Night” alongside Dan Hardy (who took home a $65,000 bonus himself) for his third round choke victory over “The Outlaw” in his final MMA fight in the main event of UFC Live 5.

“Knockout of the Night” honors went to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who picked up a KO over his opponent Charles Oliveira, earning himself an additional $65,000 in bonus pay.

U.S. Mixed Martial Arts Promotion BAMMA USA is leading by example

Posted by GC on

U.S. Mixed Martial Arts Promotion BAMMA USA is leading by example

 While the promotion prides themselves on their motto: “Keep Moving Forward“ the ultimate passion for BAMMA USA is to create an environment in which fighters are truly valued. It just so happens,  it’s also dictating the premier template for other MMA promotions.

( International Journalism Review, http://www.IJRnews.com August 8th, 2011) Brett Roberts, BAMMA’s promoter, has risen in the MMA promoter world to be a well recognized upper echelon leader based on numbers and fan base alone.  In fact, his fights have set industry records with the percentage increase in fans and fighter talent as well.  This fact is coupled with the witnessing of some of the most organized and exciting events in the sport according to many MMA experts.

When an organization delivers great performances one after the other, many industry leaders take notice.  In fact, the promoter showed us how sponsors are jockeying to get their advertising spots because of the recognized success. The latest deal between Anderson Silva and Nike is only helping the BAMMA vision.

BAMMA is in the midst of several PPV  and TV deals that will be announced soon. Also, BAMMA is in final negotiations to partner with MMA’s ProFightNetwork to be the home of their MMA forum.  Details of these negotiations were not revealed at this time.

Although there are several promotions with success stories in their own capacity, most promotions are lucky to break even when all is said and done. Roberts has broke a profit in rapid form and he has done this in a very short time giving his credit and success to God, hard work,  a solid business plan, and the people around him.

However, what makes BAMMA and Roberts stand above the rest and in a position to be elevated to possibly the next UFC,  is the ethics he brings with him and his organization.  Several IJR interviews, including last nights,  have all revealed his mission to bring class to MMA where everyone that is involved with it,  is proud and valued in a special way.

This means every fighter, fan, sponsor, or venue is actually seen not only as important, but is actually treasured by BAMMA.  Those that are involved with his organization never have to question the promotion’s integrity.

With Strikeforce, now UFC, sitting all alone at the top of the MMA sport in regards to revenue and brand recognition, the MMA community naturally  looks for the new up and coming candidate to replace a consistent UFC filler program.  WEC, Pride, and StrikeForce have all gone to a level where they became popular enough to coexist with the UFC and to warrant concern by the UFC.

All three of these threats were eventually bought out by the MMA powerhouse “The UFC”.  Dana White, the UFC president, shares the same motto as Roberts in that they both keep moving forward.  Bellator would most likely be the seasoned MMA experts choice to be the next UFC acquisition, however, don’t be surprised if BAMMA is on the Dana White and Zuffa LLC radar soon.  The question will be in the air as to not  if,  but rather when, will BAMMA have to choose between money, ethics, and the shared motto for their organization.