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Fox Sports: "Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces."

« | Home | »

Dana White: “Spuke TV” is leaking negativity about TUF

By Zach Arnold | September 24, 2012

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“The biggest, you know, Achilles heel we have right now are injuries. (If) we don’t have these injuries, man, the fights that we’re making kill it and we have, you know, events are off the charts but when you… when an event falls off and you have to scramble and fix another one you get… the main and the co-main fall off… the fact that we’re still even having a show, the fact that the greatest fighter of all time (Anderson Silva in Rio) steps up and takes the main event spot, you know? It’s… it’s just… it’s the thing that makes me continue to love this sport.

“Even The Ultimate Fighter, uh, the The Ultimate Fighter and everybody’s negative about it. Dude, FX… FX has one of the biggest rosters of programming, you know? You know who keeps leaking all this stuff and all the negativity is Spuke TV, OK? These guys don’t have a fucking program on that [channel] to save their life.

(I guess he hasn’t watched Bar Rescue. I think he and Jon Taffer would get along well swimmingly.)

“The worst channel in the history of the world, OK, nothing they do on that channel works… whereas FX has such a powerful network, they want us on Fridays… TUF was the #1 in its time period for men 18-to-34, passing all cable and broadcast channels. That’s a home run for FX! Is it a home run for us because we’re not doing, you know, the number that I wish we could do if we were on Tuesday or Wednesday? No. But it’s an absolute home run for FX.

On releasing fighters and if UFC uses the same ‘matching’ offer tactics as Bellator

“Yeah, listen, I don’t talk much about Bellator but what they do is one of the dirtiest things you can do in the business. It’s dirty, it’s grimy, and it’s just despicable. Of course, I have the right to match. But once I cut a guy and let him go and somebody else tries to sign him, I don’t come back and say, ‘Oh, you’re breaking the contract, I have matching…’ You know what I mean? When you made the decision to cut [Roger Hollett], you cut him. That’s one of the scummiest, dirtiest things you can do in the fight business.

“The problem is the dirty scumbag moves that these guys are pulling hurts the fighter, you know? It’s just, it’s one of the dirtiest, low-down, despicable things you can do in the fight business.

“I guess that’s the way those guys do business. We don’t do business like that, you know? I have no beef with those guys, they’re doing their own thing, I could care less. But that’s dirty. That’s dirty and it’s, uh… it’s borderline criminal.”

Thoughts about boxing & Bob Arum running on same 12/8 date as UFC in Seattle

“I love the sport of boxing and I watched, I bought the Chavez fight. Umm… so, yeah, I mean, I’m happy for them. Listen, whenever boxing does good things and they pull killer PPV, I’m always watching to see what they do on PPV and I’m not, ‘Those fuckers! Ah, they did this much!’ I’m happy for them. I want to see combat sports do better. I want to see boxing pull bigger numbers. I’m not Bob Arum, that crusty dick. You know what I mean? I’m not out there smashing everything that we do and saying negative stuff about boxing. Boxing’s fucking great, it’s an incredible sport. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now if it wasn’t for the sport of boxing, you know? I’m not going to play Bob Arum’s little pussy game. Fuck him.”

“That’s what they do, they went head-to-head the same night on TV. They’re crazy. Remember when Don King, Bob Arum used to go PPV the same night? I know! I know, I get it. They took the same night we’re on. Bob’s a dick. The guy is a dick. Seriously. He’s just a… he’s a fucking, you know, it’s like the guy can’t, uh… for some reason he hates the fact that this sport is doing well. Other guys are able to make money. Other athletes are able to perform and fucking do great things. For some reason, that bothers that old bastard. You know what I mean? Fuck him.”

Wonder how he’s feeling after the Strikeforce 9/29 Arco Arena show in Sacramento with Gilbert Melendez got canceled?

Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 35 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

35 Responses to “Dana White: “Spuke TV” is leaking negativity about TUF”

  1. 45 Huddle says:

    White is correct about Belator being scumbags. Theirs actions are pathetic the way they treat fighters.

    Is Dana finally willing to admit thay his cards are spread too thin now that Showtime refused to air the SF card once Melendez got injured. He cannot keep putting on cards that are so dependent on 1 fighter.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      Also look at the last two co-main events. They are FuelTV prelim level. Here is what should happen….

      1. Strikeforce needs to be shutdown.
      2. Talent should be combined and trimmed.
      3. PPV’s reduced.

      If we are lucky they will drop Bantam and Fly. The UFC will have a chance to do better if these things are implemented.

      Side comment…. I dont want to hear about jow MMA fans are uneducated comoared to boxing fans because many of us don’t like the midget fighters. Small fighters translate differently from MMA and Boxing on TV. Boxers can be fun to watch at the smaller size. Its like watching paint dry most of the time in MMA. And nobody can say I have a boxing bias….

      • Nicholai says:

        I think the reason they keep the bantamweight and flyweight divisions is asia. Boxing has a history of lighter weight fighters coming from Japan, Thailand and such places. If your company wants to make inroads into these places you need the smaller weight classes.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Valid point. Only Asia is incapable of creating a star at any weight class right now. Even Pride couldnt realy turn Gomi into a star. Sengenku failed with Hioki as their top fighter. When Asia has the talent to comprtebat ajy weight, let me know.

          Heck even the upcoming FuelTV card has an American Asian headlining it….

    • edub says:

      They aren’t doing anything the UFC wouldn’t. The UFC even did something similar with BJ in the past.

      They did it for Nam, and the only reason they did it was because he fought Dantas in his last fight. If he didn’t then they would have never used it on him.

      • 45 Huddle says:

        Since the start of the TUF era…. Zuffa has done no such thing. And Bellator also played this game with that LHW who was on the UFC 152 card. So you are wrong…..

        • edub says:

          Couture was after TUF era, so no, you are wrong.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Edub…. Not sure if you fully understand this story. Bellator is cutting fighters and only when Zuffa wants them are they using the matching clause.

          Couture was never releases by Zuffa.

        • edub says:

          No, I understand. What I am simply saying is its using a clause in its contract that is detrimental to fighters to its advantage, and I believe Zuffa’s history has shown through similar actions that they would do the exact same thing. As NTF pointed out below Zuffa has frozen out many a fighter at the end of their contracts (especially ones that would have been big free agents).

          Plus, Hollett and Brookins are definitely on the wrong end of it, but why wouldn’t they do what they did to Nam? Caplan (Bellator’s matchmaker) is the one that set him up with the Shooto (or whatever bout it was) match against Dantas in the first place. Of course they are going to try to protect that asset now.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Not even close. Couture had fights left and was never let go.

          Bellator is LETTING THESE FIGHTERS GO… And only when Zuffa shows interest do they protest.

          Not even i the same ballpark.

        • edub says:

          That’s a lot more than “not even close”. Especially what they did to Huerta.

          As I said Hollet and Brookins were bad, but Nam was going to be held up as soon as he KO’d dantas and I don’t see anything wrong with that.

      • Jason Harris says:

        When and where did UFC do something similar with BJ?

        BJ Penn decided to go fight elsewhere of his own accord and signed a multifight deal with K-1 back in 2004, and UFC stripped him of his title since he was no longer fighting with them. That’s nothing like trying to sue a guy because he took a fight elsewhere after you wouldn’t give him a fight and then fired him.

        Also, Bellator did the same thing to Roger Hollett, using the “matching period” to get him scratched from 152. He only got re-booked because of a late injury.

        When UFC cuts a guy, they cut a guy. I have never heard of Zuffa releasing a guy and then trying to prevent him from fighting somewhere else. Miguel Torres was released and re-signed to a new organization that day. You didn’t see UFC pulling this “matching period” bullshit just to keep him from getting signed.

        Bellator also tried to use the courts to torpedo Jonathan Brookins:
        http://mmajunkie.com/news/20229/bellator-sues-ufc-alleges-tortious-interference-of-contract-of-jonathan-brookins.mma

        Dave Herman had to sue them to get them to book him a fight:
        http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/1/Herman-Bellator-Locked-in-Legal-Battle-25797

        • edub says:

          Because they K1 offered more money than the UFC could at the time. So they stripped their belt, and BJ didn’t fight for 5 months after the UFC let him go. He tried to get a fight going for March or April of that same year, but Zuffa still had “matching” options.

          The UFC has never done something like this in TUF era? What do you call what they did with Couture? How’s that not anything like what Bellator did?

          Bellator uses the matching period now because that’s what gives them leverage. The UFC doesn’t because its at the pennacle of the sport.

        • nottheface says:

          When they had the fear of competition Zuffa would freeze out fighters -Arlovksi, Huerta, Vera for example – for the length of their contract, That was bad but makes Bellator even worse is that they are claiming no interest in the fighters and making no attemtps to book them, even if it is to tell them they’re going to hold them until the end of their deal. They’re putting fighters in the position where they have no clue if they have more fights with BFC, but if they sign with someone outside BFC there’s the fear that they’ll suddenly find them excercising their rights. How do you make plans in that situation?

        • edub says:

          Very true, I completely agree there.

          My thoughts on the subject is just that I think, put in a similar position, Zuffa would do the exact same thing.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Edub…. contractually they have had this chance to do what Bellator is doing and not implemented it over 1,000 times since the start of the TUF era. Bellator has done this over 5 times in the last few years.

          Nottheface…. that is the dirtiest zufa has played which is still peanuts compared to what bellator is doing.

        • nottheface says:

          There’s many more things they’ve done I consider “dirtier” but, yeah, overall Bellator outdoes them in the sleeze department. And with their own contracts no less.

        • edub says:

          What are the 5? You have Lombard, Brookins, Hollett, and Nam. Which is the fifth?

          However, what I’m saying is they’re not in a similar position, and haven’t been since TUF era hit full bore. At that point they were neck and neck with or the top promotion in the world (and have grown since). So there has never been a need to protect an asset the way Bellator has been.

        • edub says:

          I’m apparently in the minority though, so I will just bow out now gracefully saying you guys are right, I’m wrong haha!

        • Jason Harris says:

          BJ Penn voluntarily left UFC, UFC never prevented him from getting booked anywhere else, and BJ Penn actually sued UFC because he thought that he should have the right to continue getting UFC fights in addition to the fights he was taking in Japan. At no point did the UFC prevent BJ from fighting or make an attempt to.

          The UFC never released Randy Couture or refused to give him fights….he basically said “I am quitting UFC to take another offer” and UFC said “You can’t do that, you signed a contract to fight with us.” Again, at no point were they denying him from fighting.

          There’s a massive difference between Bellator signing a guy, never booking him for a fight, telling him he’s released and then threatening to sue him when he gets another job….and the UFC telling an active champion that he can’t just void the contract he signed on a whim because he feels like it.

        • edub says:

          A little late to the party JH, see above. Pretty much everything you said was covered.

  2. Alan Conceicao says:

    In boxing, they don’t typically force flyweights to fight in the biggest ring possible. The UFC, meanwhile, puts them in a 32 foot wide octagon that measures 750 square feet and with refs twice the size of the combatants. Add in fighters everyone sees as being merely OK technically and who don’t produce monstrous stoppages, and yeah. You get what you get.

    Blaming Spike for the UFC’s ails is hilarious. Meltz claims that UFC 152 sold 6800 tickets after Jon Jones was added to the bill and the total was then roughly 10,000. I’m no Stephen Hawking, but it sounds like the UFC had sold 3000 tickets in their “best” market off the back of the little guys. They should thank Jon Jones for not taking the Sonnen fight and possibly saving that market.

    • edub says:

      I don’t think its the fact that people see them as OK technically. I think its the fact that the average males watches them fight then says to himself “Man, I could take those little guys.”

      Agreed with pretty much everything else you said.

      • nottheface says:

        Watching UFC events at a bar really opens your eyes to how little the casual fanbase really cares about MMA. It’s really just an excuse to hang out and see people beat each other up. When I’m at a boxing event sure there are people just there to hang out, but every table has a few people that know at least the basics. The people surrounding me on all sides had no clue the UFC had added feather or bantam, let alone fly. That Anderson Silva didn’t use to be a LHW. That MW wasn’t 195 lbs. These were people who were clamoring to see Chael take on Jones. It’s fairly shocking to tell you the truth.

        I would like for them to keep the lower weight classes but I think they have to remove them from the regular cards. Manny and Floyd don’t have HW on their undercard so the UFC should think about doing more WEC-centric style cards. The hardcore fans will love them and you inflict the small fighters on your ppv paying audience.

        • Alan Conceicao says:

          You can’t go marketing raw violence in a cage for almost a decade and then flip back and go “Look at these guys and their artistry in this sport!” So I agree with this. OTOH, look – these guys will need to fight on the undercard of some bigger fighters because that’s who the stars are, and unless you’re fighting in front of crowds of people, who is gonna care?

          I’m still not sold on Jones/Sonnen being a real big fight but maybe I’m crazy for thinking there’s a significant number of people who thought of Sonnen as exposed by Silva in the rematch. I guess we’ll see at some point since Dana seems to have a hard on for that fight.

          (BTW, Anderson did fight at light heavyweight before being in the UFC. I mean he was 167 in Shooto, but he fought Stiebling at about 200lbs and something around that for Otsuka, but that’s kinda being anal retentive about the guy’s career.)

        • 45 Huddle says:

          they have having the same problem Pride had in Japan.

          Pride sold the freakshow and when the freakshow got stale fans lost interest.

          Zuffa sold the “this fight is the best ever” and when it got stale fans are losing interest.

          Sell the sport. Let it speak for itself. And let is grow organically. There was an artificial bump in popularity due to the way Zuffa handled things. That has worn off and now Dana White is running around like a chicken with his head cut off not knowing what to do.

        • Zack says:

          Trying to respond to 45 Huddles Pride/Freakshow post…

          You would be correct if you were talking about K-1, but not Pride….which Pride freakshows were the biggest events that eventually turned people off? What killed the popularity was lack of a Japanese star post Saku/Yoshida and of course the loss of TV, not that fans were hooked on freakshow fights and got burnt out.

          I don’t come on here often, but its nice to see some things don’t change….you’re still a fucking idiot.

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Yes hecause Pride never had a fighter compete in a mask before. Go look at the list of Wanderlei Silva’s title challengers compared to the available talent out there. And they never put on fights like Sakuraba vs Royler where the two fighters werent even 30 pounds apart.

          Pride did sell the freakshow. It was how they became popular. And when the freakshow novelty wore off they were finished. The scandal just sped up the process.

  3. The Judge says:

    Ever notice that nearly everybody Dana White has had a problem with is a “scumbag”, despicable bottom of the line trash criminal?

    If I think every person I know is an asshole and vice versa, chances are that “every person I know” is right, not me.

  4. The Judge says:

    Anybody else think the major problem with the midgets is they can punch each other for 25 minutes with great technical skill and still deliver next to no knockouts?

    It’s not that I think I could knock out Benavidez and Mighty Mouse that’s stopping me from enjoying the fight, it’s the fact that a mediocre heavyweight would wipe the mat with either one. And I don’t want to watch a fighter who would get dominated by a mediocre heavyweight, regardless of the size.

    • edub says:

      Shit, mediocre HW? I think a mediocre LW would beat up either one.

      I mean I wouldn’t pick either to beat somebody like Justin Buchholz or John Gunderson in a fight.

    • Tomer says:

      So you have no interest in watching a Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao because a Chris Arreola could (T)KO them? Just making sure I’m understanding your point…

  5. RST says:

    He actually said “spuke TV”?!

    I’ve heard about elderly people becoming decrepit to the degree of having to care for an old baby.

    But to watch it unfold so publicly,
    in the form of a popular corporate/media figurehead,
    and every nuance detailed and amplified via twitter is a little upsetting.

    Just put me down if I start acting like fester!

    Or at the very least take away my access to the internet.

    Somebody should park dana in front of a cardboard box and just tell him that everybody loves his twitter!

  6. cutch says:

    Seen a few people on here saying what they would like the UFC’s schedule to be like so heres mine.

    8 PPV – Heavyweight to Welterweight Title fights and a lot of your top draws, try and keep your PPVs special, with them hopefully all getting over 500,000 buys.

    4 Fox – Lightweight & Featherweight Title fights & Contender fights and big names and up and comers like the Fox 5 card

    12 FX & 8 Fuel Shows – Bantamweight & Flyweight Title fights, contender fights from Lightweight down & decent top 20 fighters on the main card of all weight classes. They can also use a smaller cage & refs for some of these cards with guys 170 and under and the occational show with the bigger guys.

    The FX shows would be held in North & South America (and Australia like FX 2 & 6) and the Fuel shows would be held in Europe & Asia due to the time differnece.

    That’s 12 major shows and 20 decent cards with only 8 being PPVs, ofcource if they can get a marketable little guy like Faber or Ronda Rousey (if you had females in the UFC) you would move them up to either PPV or Fox and if you have a guy like Jon Fitch as champ you would probably move him down.

    They have to try and expand Internationally though, so I would try and do even more International shows as the years went on.

  7. Chromium says:

    Dana White is right about Bjorn Rebney doing some scumbag shit with Tyson Nam.

    Ironically Bjorn Rebney is right about Dana White being a hypocrite considering they had to go through the same process to snag King Mo.

    Kind of a wash.

    Strikeforce being cancelled was just completely stupid and it’s difficult to imagine something couldn’t have been worked out, like Zuffa agreeing to give SF a discount on licensing fees for the event and then making Thomson vs Healy for the Interim Title. No one thinks they’re a viable promotion but Showtime has a contract, which they will probably opt renew at the end of the year anyway (this is purely Showtimes option, Zuffa would probably have to pay a huge financial penalty to Strikeforce to fold the promotion and pull out of the tv deal). I doubt Showtime cares what Zuffa thinks about their actions since they must have already concluded that SF will cease to exist at the end of 2013.

    So, while I agree that Strikeforce simply needs to be put down at this point, I don’t think it’s going to happen. When it does, expect to see Ronda Rousey in the UFC btw.

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