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Interview: White gave Mirko permission to attend Hustle event
By Zach Arnold | December 30, 2007
Tokyo Sports mobile (the newspaper) conducted an interview with Dana White on a number of subjects. The focus was on Takanori Gomi and Mirko Cro Cop.
According to the newspaper’s interview, White said that Mirko Cro Cop asked for permission to attend the Hustle event on 12/31 in Saitama and that his request was granted.
What makes this news item interesting is that Gomi appeared at UFC 79 and his agent is supposedly Ken Imai… as in the same Ken Imai who ‘controlled’ Mirko in Japan for many years in DSE after Mirko left agent Miro Mijatovic. Is Imai attempting to create an image to Japanese fighters as someone who can be a ‘wirepuller’ to get into UFC, similar to what Koichi Kawasaki has been doing?
One other interesting item in the Tokyo Sports interview involved MMA on NYE. White was asked if he was going to watch the DSE event on HDNet and he responded by saying that he wasn’t interested in watching the event. Furthermore, he said that he didn’t watch any other MMA outside of UFC (not enough time in his schedule), but he will watching boxing events. White admitted that he did watch the StrikeForce 6/22 San Jose Arena event because it featured an old friend (Phil Baroni) fighting Frank Shamrock and that he hates Frank.
Topics: Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Pro-Wrestling, UFC, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Anybody out there really believe White doesn’t watch the other shows?
And no way in hell he won’t watch Fedor fight on NYE. Whether or not he watches it live…
The fact is that both Kawasaki and Imai get Japanese fighters into the UFC. They are very successful at what they do, so no wonder they work hard to build an image to help sell their services. Right, Zach?
“White admitted that he did watch the StrikeForce 6/22 San Jose Arena event because it featured an old friend (Phil Baroni) fighting Frank Shamrock and that he hates Frank.”
Dana White, classin’ it up as per usual. Someone says that he underpays his fighters, and he “hates” them. I guess that means he hates 99% of the people who post comments on the Internet, most of his fighters, and almost every MMA blogger.
Pretty much anyone except Chuck Liddell, Kevin Iole and Huddle 45.
imai can certainly work with his old friends at hustle and yarrenoka and im sure he can speak to joe silva and dana
but he cant work with tanigawa or kawamata at k1
so, dana might be able to get gomi on the cheap because k1 will not be a competing bidder
all dana needs to do is wait and gomi’s price will be right
what is poor old kawasaki up to these days after the breakup of his and rudimar’s gravy train over at Chute Box?
LMAO @ “Pretty much anyone except Chuck Liddell, Kevin Iole and Huddle 45.”
BRILLIANT! I love you
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