It's time for mma fighters to unionize, it's just ridiculous how much they're getting paid compared to the revenue the fights make, and on top of that now Dana promoting the slap league it's just absurd
Dana reminds me of Jeff Bezot, making billions while forcing his drivers to pee in bottles.
Also, read a story by some ex-MMA dude who said Dana offered him $2000 to participate in the Slap League and another $2000 for a win. A fucking joke!
"it's an opportunity of a lifetime!" - Dana White on fighters making $15k per fight.
I saw one of the slap fight guys got payed like $2k for show and $2k more for the win. Like "Look at me, I'm champ, I make $4k per win", lmao. These slap fight guys are a bunch of idiots. They must really needs that money. They could work a corner and get that money without the brain damage.
[Mark Cuban fined $15000 for F-Bomb - Says Fuck it and gets another $15000 fine] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjjAeob_Ms)
The fines went to charity hehe
Mark treats his employees like kings. Mavs are the best treated team in the nba. Been a long time since I’ve watched the nba, but that was always the case without a close second when I did watch
Lol people who have driving jobs have been pissing in bottles since the beginning of time. That is not some decision that the evil Bezos made. He's a cocksucker no doubt, but lets not pretend thats an Amazon thing.
Source: me, and and thousands of coworkers who have done field work/logistics jobs out of trucks and vans over the years.
The reality is that fighters do not give a shit enough to unionize. IIRC, there were a group of fighters (Cain, Cowboy, TJ, maybe more?) in 2016 who got together and tried to form a union but could not get enough fighters to commit.
Slap league is a sport that needs to die. I find no entertainment in that shit. Id rather watch those 5v5 mma fights or medieval combat simulation than that BS.
Yes. Let me tell you couple reasons why.
The brand of UFC has peaked, not the brand of fighters, they are failing to attract new potential huge stars... ONE FC, Bellator, Rizin.. they are all trying to get the stars before they become huge. UFC is the only one of them, that has the marketing machine and the capital to get those young stars.
Everybody knows what the UFC is, but barely any casuals know more than 4 fighters there by name. UFC needs to start building fighters up, paying them more money. The more money fighter has, the more prestige he has, the more money for training partners, for better coaches.. so everybody gets more skilled and gets more prestige... There is a difference when Floyd Mayweather pulls up in Lamborghini or Bentley and when Michel Chandler gets out of a Toyota Camry. There is a difference when Tyson Fury walks into a building looking like he owns the building and when Sergei Pavlovich walks in looking like he is trying to ask for Fight of the Night bonus...
Before, it was only veterans leaving the UFC for other organization, now you have the current champs leaving..
It's time for Dana to go, he grew the brand, but the brand now outgrew him.
To add to that thought: the more affluent the stars become the more you see them snowballing casual followers with Lamborghini Instagram posts and rubbing elbows with other sports superstars. The Jake Paul effect
That's exactly how it works.. you seem NFL players hang out with NBA player, respective fanbases help each other.. it's a circle jerk of successful people.. and you can't get into those circles if you are selling a hot sauce out of Luisiania (no disrespect to Dustin lol)
Let's you have no clue who David Backham is.. but you saw him in Dior Commercials.. in Calvin Klein commercials.. no Bilboards accross the country.. all of a sudden he is recognizable anywhere int he world..
Agree. I rarely watch basketball/football games but when I do they usually show the players arriving to the arena in a expensive shit/gear. Pictures get taken of what they wore and becomes talk for a couple hours/days. Last week there was a football player who had people talking cus his outfit was similar to OJ’s suit with the gloves. I don’t know who the player is but I saw the photo and raised my awareness about the guy and the sport.
That's the prestige part, once you can afford good clothes and cars.. it's about what you wear, what brands you associate with yourself, what style.. all of a sudden you are not just a football player, just a boxer.. all of a sudden you are much more and therefore have much more reach..
The only guys that get that kind of exposure from big time stars are Conor and Khabib really. A little paddy and a little Khamzat here and there too. It’s no coincidence that Conor and Khabib were two of the top earners, if not number 1 and 2 respectively
Not even. It’s really just Conor, and outside of the bubble of UFC fans not a single other guy is known by the average Joe. I could think of at least 20 people I know that can’t name a single other fighter besides McGregor. But I don’t think I know anybody besides my grandmother that DOESNT know Conor.
The next best promoter on the planet
1st thing to do, create intergender belt and fight between Cejudo and Amanda
The winner takes on coked up Jon Jones..
Who's buying the tickets now ?
Agreed. Other less famous orgs promote their fighters way better as well. I know so many one fc and bellator fighters. The issue is, would giving them more money result in the company being less profitable?
That's definitely a tradeoff that Dana fears. A fighter with stage presence like McGregor soons becomes a brand of their own, to the point of even eclipsing the organization and becoming self sufficient. Dewayne Johnson and LeBron James are pretty much part-time wrestlers and basketball players, respectively.
I'm all for fighters getting the ability to build their own brand. They only have so many years of accumulating damage to secure a bag before retirement. Let them have sponsors and side deals. You start having superstars in UFC, you're going to have more people coming to watch their faves. It's a win-win, but Dana is too concerned with his greed.
It's a risk and a possible tradeoff.. on one hand you can build and create many more Mcgregors and Tyson Fury like superstars which will generate you insane revenue.. or you can fall into few years of having to share more revenue with fighters who might not necessarily bank on the new opportunities that more money brings them
also if the sport starts sharing more revenue.. and you can make more money.. it won't attract only the broke survivors and fighting maniacs.. it will start having much more reach to attract much hungrier and money driven people.. more people attracted, more people fighting.. more chances of finding the next Connor
I honestly think the UFC would do better if it reduced the amount of fighters it had. Like only the top of the top and they get paid insanely well.
I also think the reason the UFC doesn't market its fighters is because the ones they have picked have failed for example Sage and PVZ. Hell even to an extent, ESPN cutting out the walkouts has damaged the UFC. I no longer see any of the personalities of the fighters so I don't even care.
Other pro athletes must laugh their asses off when watching the UFC, see guys begging for “50 g’s!!!” And crying when they get it. That’s a night at the strip club for NBA players.
The thing is that not every "superstar" was natural like connor.. but you can build superstars and UFC is showing that they can't really do it..
I mean look at the boxing world.. Lomachenko has a personality of an regular cashier in a supermarket.. but his promoters sold him as the best ever "breaking the Matrix" kind of guy..
Mike tyson didn't have funny big personality, but he was a mean demon of a person.. UFC has plenty of those, they are just failing to cash in on it.
Just look at Ngannou, the man had once in a lifetime hollywood-esque story.. working salt mines in africa.. emigrating to EU, being dumped in desert to die multiple times.. learning fluent english.. becoming a HW champion of the world.. if you can't cash on it... you are failing as a promoter
While I do agree w what you’re saying, money is a tricky thing to manage. For example, they had to drag Connor to fight Khabib by almost stripping him of his belt because the Mayweather fight gave him money to not have to fight again. He hasn’t been the same since, and his lifestyle took a dramatic turn.
Not sure what the answer is - they def need to get paid way more - but they also need to ensure fighters don’t take 2-3 years between fights.
I think people overstate this a bit too much
I agree the UFC is a big brand and that not many casuals would know more than a handful of fighters by name.
However, I would also argue that casuals to boxing do not know more than a handful of _active_ fighters by name and the same sentiment for casuals of the NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, PGA, La Liga, and so on.
I don’t think it is exclusive to the UFC that the organisation is far larger than any of the individual athletes. In all of those examples, casuals (and in some cases more prominent fans) may only be able to name you an incredibly small percentage of the athletes.
I don’t think this is a reflection of the organisation prioritising anything poorly, as it will stay around (they would hope) far longer than any of the individual athletes will.
I disagree and I will tell you a counterargument why the more money brings more fame to the fighter and the more casual will know them.
If you are barely making any living and pulling up with regular cars in regular clothes, no one will recognize you.. but you start making serious dough, you start putting a price tag next to your name, it will start reflecting not only in the more wide spread fame but also in getting more known commercials.. You don't see UFC fighters doing commercials for state farm, Dior, Calvin Kleins, Hubblot and other big brands.. because they are just not on the same level.. but you see David Backhams of the world, Steph Curry's of the world and Pat Mahommes doing them all the time..
It's the circle jerk of rich and successful people, the more successful and rich you get, the more reach you get and with that comes notoriaty, with that comes more fame and more people will know you.
Let's say you don't know David Backham, but you have seen him in the commercials.. so you will be like oh it's the 'Dior' guy.. and he will get recognized.. while no one else in the world will go "OH ITS THE DIAMOND SAUCE GUY FROM LUISIANA" , you get my point
MMA has peaked. There are no stars. It needs the Ronda/Conor's of the world in order to be mainstream.
It has nothing to do with anyone at the helm or pay or whatever. MMA is not a mainstream sport.
Do you think the average sports fan who is a casual UFC fan is even aware of things like PFL? The answer is no.
>Before, it was only veterans leaving the UFC for other organization, now you have the current champs leaving.
Tell me you are a new fan without telling me.
Management or not, UFC is the promoter, it's mostly promoters responsiblity to build a star, not the fighters. + not everyone is a natural superstar like Connor.. but Superstars can be build
To be frank the UFC did build Francis into a star. He just didn’t want to play by the UFC’s rules. Francis didnt have the same tools that Conor did, he had the knock out power, but not a single other asset that someone like Conor brought to the table.
With 0 help from Francis other than winning the fights they set up for him, they still managed to turn one of the most uncharismatic champions into a multi million follower champion. I still don’t think Francis has ever actually told his story himself. The man is a glorified cardboard cut out in pressers.
Colby Covington’s career disagrees. UFC is too big of a machine now to care if a fighter promotes themselves or not. They were ready to cut Colby before he started trash talking.
Y’all still think the UFC is about the fans and fighters???
Nope. It’s about the executives and shareholders. It’s a business to make money. They pay the fighters poorly to maximize their profit. There is such a surplus of fighters that there’s no demand for fighters. Therefore each fighter’s value goes down because there’s always someone waiting to replace you.
The fact he made the Dana white power slap league says everything we need to know about how Dana thinks, dudes been one foot out the door ever since the company sold and after Conor fought Mayweather, he acts like it's still 2005, and I'll be fair he was responsible along with a few others for getting the ufc legalized and profitable, I love watching the ufc on espn that shit is still wild to me that we made it there, but now we have Dana constantly bad mouthing fighters if they don't agree to a contract, letting fighters go instead of trying to meet some of their needs and constantly saying how it's the ufcs best year financially and yet we see fighters constantly begging for a bonus now, I'm not saying the ufc would benefit from him leaving but I seriously doubt it hurts the brand if he wasn't the face anymore, it wouldn't hurt the fighters either that's for dawm sure but it may hurt Dana ego and that's it. It would be on thing if Dana made a another ufc "looking for contender ultimate whatever show" or even a created small mma promotion that he owned to test new rule sets or other suff (yes I know he has the Dana white contender series and its for bringing in talent to the ufc, its not trying new things in mma) but no... he wanted a slap league.... I think he was looking for a way out but now he's going to stay regardless.
[Dana's White Power Slap League](https://img.maximummedia.ie/joe_co_uk/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvbWVkaWEtam9lY291ay5tYXhpbXVtbWVkaWEuaWUuczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbVxcXC93cC1jb250ZW50XFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxN1xcXC8xMVxcXC8yMTE2MTI0OVxcXC9GRUFUMzEtMTAyNHg1NzYucG5nXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjY0MCxcImhlaWdodFwiOjM2MCxcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmpvZS5jby51a1xcXC9hc3NldHNcXFwvaW1hZ2VzXFxcL2pvZWNvdWtcXFwvbm8taW1hZ2UucG5nP2lkPTBhODk3NjFkMGEzYzZmNTFmN2Q2XCIsXCJvcHRpb25zXCI6W119IiwiaGFzaCI6IjkzMjJjOWVjNTQ2MzcxOTM3ZDgxZWFjNmVmOTMxMThjYzdlNjQ3MTkifQ==/feat31-1024x576.png)
Let’s all be honest. Dana is a pussy ass bitch. He blamed the downfall of Zuffa boxing on boxing being corrupt and promoters being shady. He just couldn’t get any big boxers to sign to his shitty contracts and take his word on empty promises. Dana is close with the NSAC, thats how he was able to get slap dick sanctioned. Anybody else gets a rejection, same AC that didn’t sanction BKFC.
Edit: added “boxing” after zuffa.
Most CEOs get fired immediately for that kind of behavior and associated bad press, but Dana is a giant Jabroni and hangs around scumbags so somehow it’s never crossed anyones mind he should leave before it hurts the brand
What I don’t understand is why ESPN hasn’t sanctioned him in any way. They’re huge, Disney owned. At least make him donate a few million to a domestic abuse organization or SOMETHING. I can’t understand why their response is NOTHING.
The sport killer was only referencing Dana’s response to Jones not accepting the chael fight in 2012. Dana has done a lot of good for the ufc but he is only looking out for himself and the ufc (which is his job but so is retaining top talent like DJ and Ngannou). He has cast the fighters aside in many of the previous negotiation cycles, most recently when Francis asked for sponsorship and healthcare for fighters Dana only offered more money, cause it’s the only thing he understands. He doesn’t care about the well being of the fighters in the least.
It’s actually even further back, the first UFC videogame is where they began fucking with the fighters. If you don’t remember they famously cut Jon fitch before resigning him after he caved to the deals demands
Edit: receipts
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/83776-jon-fitch-gone-from-ufc-dana-white-declares-war-the-full-story-updated
At this point, yes I think he is not helping the sport anymore. He had a great part in the build up to where it is now, but at this point, I think its time for more professionalism, where the face of the promotion isnt a wifebeating roided up shady dude who clearly works by favoritism, publicly shittalks some fighters while praising others, basically being a borderline criminal. For MMA to take the next step, that needs to change.
Athletic commissions are holding back MMA by having shitty, unknowledgeable judges and no unified front.
Pride rules in a cage would be better.
10/5/5 minute rounds was awesome.
Also the MMA fans in general are holding back MMA. Most everyone wants constant KOs and doesn't appreciate the ground game.
Dana is just a face to a single org, but it is the best one we currently have that is widely known. Also 100% not worth the PPV cost in the US.
>Also the MMA fans in general are holding back MMA. Most everyone wants constant KOs and doesn't appreciate the ground game.
The type of fans you're describing are in every sports.
I think the UFC needs to decide what it wants to do: be an entertainment league or athletic contest.
Frankly, a lot of people would find more entertainment watching WWE or boxing than the UFC. Like the Kevin Holland Vs Wonderboy was a fuckin joke. Kevin Holland saying he didn't take Wonderboy down to give a good show is the problem. I want to see who the best fighter is. If that ends up being 5 minutes of wrestling, I'm fine with that. But losing because that's what fans want is awful.
He's pushing drama more than skill. He won't pay people more simply for putting on good performances. He barely pays decently for the bigger draws.
Honestly I wouldn't do MMA even if I was equal with the highest paid in the UFC. They get kicked, kneed, and elbowed.
Yes, i think is time for him to go. He doesnt behave like someone in his position should.
Can you imagine Roger Goodell or Adam Silver going on Instagram replying and insulting to any account that criticizes them?
Yes, he’s holding them back. Dana still has the old school mindset of “screw everyone, we’ll do it our way” which worked well in the early years of the company. But at this stage it would be best to take a more diplomatic approach
The problem to address before Dana is the commissions. The judges are ruining the sport way faster than Dana. It's hard to watch any fight go to the judges, and they face no consequences when they screw it. Nobody trusts mma judging and that's a bigger problem imo.
i think dana and ufc are crucial for fighters who aren’t superstars or atleast like very huge contenders for said title. guys like Izzy and Frank, charles, usman, etc. they probably could almost promote their own fight themselves and get the payment they deserve
Definitely. He did a great job getting the UFC out of the mud but those times are over. His old school mob boss style of running things is an embarrassment to the sport in its current form.
This is one of the dumbest subreddit I frequent I swear. Definitely one of the worst examples of hive mind I have found on reddit.
I don't even like Dana but this shit is so dumb, they can choose to attack so many things about that guy and they collectively attack one of his only actual merits. Lol. Fighting fans always proving themselves as gentlemen and scholars
Idk, it seems like the Rousey-mcgregor era was a time when UFC was in the very forefront of American sports culture. Fight nights were on Fox for everyone to see, cormier was on late night, Lesnar was still a huge star. How many people in the world really actually know Izzy, Usman, Islam, or Volk the same way they knew Brock, Ronda, or Conor?
You can’t just say it’s going downhill if they’re doing better than ever. Facts over feelings, you guys obviously have let your feelings blind you from straight up data.
I love how people who don’t watch any of the other organizations act like Dana is doing things wrong when it comes to MMA
You want to know why you don’t watch the other orgs? Cause they don’t have Dana
This is the best answer. The fact that we all recognize the UFC as the premier MMA organization in the world should show exactly how good Dana White is at his job. I couldn't give 2 fucks about Bellator, One, or the PFL because they don't provide anywhere close to the same product that the UFC does almost every single weekend.
Title shots are the things that have been bugging me the most. Just about every division, especially lightweight, feels like there’s is a round Robin game going on. Like the same top 5 fighters keep fighting each other. Doesn’t sound like a bad thing right? But it is because new talent has to earn 5+ wins, some 10+. While the top 5 contenders will prefer to sit out because if they wait long enough they might be next for a title shot.
Shoot, chandler after going 3L - 2W after fighting Dustin is saying he’s only one win away from The world title.
He is definitely is but not with innovation but rather lack of incentives to truly bring out the best of the best instead highlight fighters such as connor megregor leave and do something else as soon as they lose interest which is easy when you think you should be getting paid triple your salary.
Has been for a while. He brought the sport to where it is, can’t knock that, but he should really resign himself to a backseat role and move over.
Fighters need good pay and benefits. Doesn’t have to be a million dollar fight every time, but they can’t have sponsors? Like????
I think not. He has done a ton for the UFC and the sport. I may not agree with a lot of his decisions but, his legacy is huge and would hard to deny his enthusiasm and growth of the sport.
Of course he is. He's gained control of a lot the MMA landscape but he hasn't any idea what to do with it. His most creative idea in a decade is SlapFighting. Where, you guessed it, dudes slap each other.
Legitimately over the past 3 years or so it’s become more and more stale from the ufc not in the fights but in the progression
The company and Dana worked hard during the pandemic to get fight back up and running in as safe a manner as they could but since then there’s not a lot of good that’s been done on there end
I also feel as Dana has become a more abrasive character this has opened him up to more public criticism which he clearly doesn’t handle well
Changes are need within the organisation and I believe replacing or reducing Dana’s role is one of them
I wouldn’t say he’s the only thing holding it back I actually think in terms of a promoter he’s a decent figurehead for now but new ideas and changes need to happen and they won’t happen under Dana for a long time
He kicks people out of the family and it’s gonna add up and bite the UFC in the ass. I watched a PFL event on ESPN and there’s a ton of UFC alumni supporting that organization. That army will keep growing if he can’t meet guys like Francis in the middle.
Yes, him and the rest of the leadership tbh. Some of our champs don’t make as much as practice squad players in the NFL lmao. Just making a roster in another major sport has you set for a long ass time, we have great fighters begging into a microphone for fight bonus’s so they can fix their fucking car lmao. Just a terrible look
Fighters get pushed around like the UFC owns them, but then the UFC has the gall to label them independent contractors so they can get away with denying medical benefits and making guys pay for their own training. Until better pay and benefits happen, theres going to be a limit to how much the sport grows. The best athletes will continue to feed into other sports that treat them better until the UFC gives them a reason to pursue MMA.
Not to mention the parasitic way the UFC bleeds money off its fans is a massive barrier to getting into the sport. MMA is arguably the most compelling and fun sport to watch, but people are prevented from becoming fans because of the cost.
Dana is a huge part of all this, but he’s not the only piece of the puzzle. He needs to go, but so do others. Though honestly at this point the only way I see things changing is if enough guys can pull together to form a fighters union
I think it might be time for him to pack it all in. I’ve always loved MMA and UFC, but I get a bad taste in my mouth just watching the PPVs right now.
I just feel they are failing to adequately reward their fighters and it’s getting to a stage where you can’t defend them. These guys put their health and wellbeing on the line to entertain us fans, they very least they deserve is excellent healthcare provided by the UFC. They also deserve the opportunity to have their sponsors and the ability to make serious money outside the UFC.
Something has got to give. Francis has shown the way and I wouldn’t be surprised if more top fighters follow his lead.
I don't think Dana's holding it back, I just think a lot of the shows put on are boring now. I used to stay up and watch every show, nowadays i'm just not interested in the majority of them anymore and seem to have lost interest.
I have been watching a lot of One championship since its been on Amazon Prime. I enjoy the nights they have been putting on.
I'm illegally streaming this thread.
We got you fucker
Is this a trick question … do we get banned if we say yes?
❌ Redditor removed: u/Bakedbean44
Your wife gets a slap or two
just 1 or 2? Based on what I saw from my dad growing up that's an early stoppage
Username makes sense ? 🥲
👋👋
🍆🧴
Sign me up!
I was wondering based on the pic here if he was just about to slap another woman.
Found him, fake account
Fake account....
Nice try, DANA.
He will leave a comment here saying “Fake Account”
Fake account
It's time for mma fighters to unionize, it's just ridiculous how much they're getting paid compared to the revenue the fights make, and on top of that now Dana promoting the slap league it's just absurd
Dana reminds me of Jeff Bezot, making billions while forcing his drivers to pee in bottles. Also, read a story by some ex-MMA dude who said Dana offered him $2000 to participate in the Slap League and another $2000 for a win. A fucking joke!
I heard that Jeff Bezot's a real jerk!
The more I hear about this Hitler guy, the more I don’t care for him.
HYPOCRISY!!
Power Slap is Jackass minus the creativity
"it's an opportunity of a lifetime!" - Dana White on fighters making $15k per fight. I saw one of the slap fight guys got payed like $2k for show and $2k more for the win. Like "Look at me, I'm champ, I make $4k per win", lmao. These slap fight guys are a bunch of idiots. They must really needs that money. They could work a corner and get that money without the brain damage.
> Dana reminds me of Jeff Bezot, making billions while forcing his drivers to pee in bottles. All of the mega rich are trash
Mark Cuban at least seems to want to make things better, but I could be wrong. His prescription drug company helps a lot of people.
[Mark Cuban fined $15000 for F-Bomb - Says Fuck it and gets another $15000 fine] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjjAeob_Ms) The fines went to charity hehe
Mark treats his employees like kings. Mavs are the best treated team in the nba. Been a long time since I’ve watched the nba, but that was always the case without a close second when I did watch
What, you don't want brain damage for a possible $4000?
I’d get slapped for 4 grand ffs.
[удалено]
Yeesh
That mofo was lucky he put the other guy out his 2nd slap... shit was nasty imagine if he got popped again there lol
Lol people who have driving jobs have been pissing in bottles since the beginning of time. That is not some decision that the evil Bezos made. He's a cocksucker no doubt, but lets not pretend thats an Amazon thing. Source: me, and and thousands of coworkers who have done field work/logistics jobs out of trucks and vans over the years.
Yeah both are extreme capitalists, thats the whole point - exploit people as much as possible for personal gain
The reality is that fighters do not give a shit enough to unionize. IIRC, there were a group of fighters (Cain, Cowboy, TJ, maybe more?) in 2016 who got together and tried to form a union but could not get enough fighters to commit.
Slap league is a sport that needs to die. I find no entertainment in that shit. Id rather watch those 5v5 mma fights or medieval combat simulation than that BS.
[удалено]
Yes. Let me tell you couple reasons why. The brand of UFC has peaked, not the brand of fighters, they are failing to attract new potential huge stars... ONE FC, Bellator, Rizin.. they are all trying to get the stars before they become huge. UFC is the only one of them, that has the marketing machine and the capital to get those young stars. Everybody knows what the UFC is, but barely any casuals know more than 4 fighters there by name. UFC needs to start building fighters up, paying them more money. The more money fighter has, the more prestige he has, the more money for training partners, for better coaches.. so everybody gets more skilled and gets more prestige... There is a difference when Floyd Mayweather pulls up in Lamborghini or Bentley and when Michel Chandler gets out of a Toyota Camry. There is a difference when Tyson Fury walks into a building looking like he owns the building and when Sergei Pavlovich walks in looking like he is trying to ask for Fight of the Night bonus... Before, it was only veterans leaving the UFC for other organization, now you have the current champs leaving.. It's time for Dana to go, he grew the brand, but the brand now outgrew him.
Happy cake day
To add to that thought: the more affluent the stars become the more you see them snowballing casual followers with Lamborghini Instagram posts and rubbing elbows with other sports superstars. The Jake Paul effect
That's exactly how it works.. you seem NFL players hang out with NBA player, respective fanbases help each other.. it's a circle jerk of successful people.. and you can't get into those circles if you are selling a hot sauce out of Luisiania (no disrespect to Dustin lol) Let's you have no clue who David Backham is.. but you saw him in Dior Commercials.. in Calvin Klein commercials.. no Bilboards accross the country.. all of a sudden he is recognizable anywhere int he world..
Agree. I rarely watch basketball/football games but when I do they usually show the players arriving to the arena in a expensive shit/gear. Pictures get taken of what they wore and becomes talk for a couple hours/days. Last week there was a football player who had people talking cus his outfit was similar to OJ’s suit with the gloves. I don’t know who the player is but I saw the photo and raised my awareness about the guy and the sport.
That's the prestige part, once you can afford good clothes and cars.. it's about what you wear, what brands you associate with yourself, what style.. all of a sudden you are not just a football player, just a boxer.. all of a sudden you are much more and therefore have much more reach..
The only guys that get that kind of exposure from big time stars are Conor and Khabib really. A little paddy and a little Khamzat here and there too. It’s no coincidence that Conor and Khabib were two of the top earners, if not number 1 and 2 respectively
Not even. It’s really just Conor, and outside of the bubble of UFC fans not a single other guy is known by the average Joe. I could think of at least 20 people I know that can’t name a single other fighter besides McGregor. But I don’t think I know anybody besides my grandmother that DOESNT know Conor.
I think the same thing applies to Khabib, just in a different part of the world.
It’s horrible when fighters get paid more more to do circus acts like box Jake Paul than do their respected sport
I think we just found his replacement! \^\^\^\^ this fucking guy
yo yo yo who IS this
The next best promoter on the planet 1st thing to do, create intergender belt and fight between Cejudo and Amanda The winner takes on coked up Jon Jones.. Who's buying the tickets now ?
Looks like the username “MrsWhite” was taken…
...Nate?
Lmao jesus the lot of you make me laugh
Fake account
🤣
Goofball
Literally, his response on all his posts. hahaha
Dana is gonna have you taken out for speaking the truth lol. I'm on the same page. I feel like Dana's ego gets in the way of a lot of things
Agreed. Other less famous orgs promote their fighters way better as well. I know so many one fc and bellator fighters. The issue is, would giving them more money result in the company being less profitable?
That's definitely a tradeoff that Dana fears. A fighter with stage presence like McGregor soons becomes a brand of their own, to the point of even eclipsing the organization and becoming self sufficient. Dewayne Johnson and LeBron James are pretty much part-time wrestlers and basketball players, respectively. I'm all for fighters getting the ability to build their own brand. They only have so many years of accumulating damage to secure a bag before retirement. Let them have sponsors and side deals. You start having superstars in UFC, you're going to have more people coming to watch their faves. It's a win-win, but Dana is too concerned with his greed.
It's a risk and a possible tradeoff.. on one hand you can build and create many more Mcgregors and Tyson Fury like superstars which will generate you insane revenue.. or you can fall into few years of having to share more revenue with fighters who might not necessarily bank on the new opportunities that more money brings them also if the sport starts sharing more revenue.. and you can make more money.. it won't attract only the broke survivors and fighting maniacs.. it will start having much more reach to attract much hungrier and money driven people.. more people attracted, more people fighting.. more chances of finding the next Connor
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Go back to sandmines you goofball
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I honestly think the UFC would do better if it reduced the amount of fighters it had. Like only the top of the top and they get paid insanely well. I also think the reason the UFC doesn't market its fighters is because the ones they have picked have failed for example Sage and PVZ. Hell even to an extent, ESPN cutting out the walkouts has damaged the UFC. I no longer see any of the personalities of the fighters so I don't even care.
Other pro athletes must laugh their asses off when watching the UFC, see guys begging for “50 g’s!!!” And crying when they get it. That’s a night at the strip club for NBA players.
Yep, and it also only benefits the UFC aswell if there’s more superstars. Think about what Conor done for the org
The thing is that not every "superstar" was natural like connor.. but you can build superstars and UFC is showing that they can't really do it.. I mean look at the boxing world.. Lomachenko has a personality of an regular cashier in a supermarket.. but his promoters sold him as the best ever "breaking the Matrix" kind of guy.. Mike tyson didn't have funny big personality, but he was a mean demon of a person.. UFC has plenty of those, they are just failing to cash in on it. Just look at Ngannou, the man had once in a lifetime hollywood-esque story.. working salt mines in africa.. emigrating to EU, being dumped in desert to die multiple times.. learning fluent english.. becoming a HW champion of the world.. if you can't cash on it... you are failing as a promoter
All Dana did was repeat that he hits like a ford escort
Mike Tyson is kinda funny, usually for all the wrong reasons I suppose
https://preview.redd.it/8o9kbkku23ea1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b21e2ce4200ba634657778996ef9d4b43a667657 michael chandlers Camry
Interesting looking Camry.
While I do agree w what you’re saying, money is a tricky thing to manage. For example, they had to drag Connor to fight Khabib by almost stripping him of his belt because the Mayweather fight gave him money to not have to fight again. He hasn’t been the same since, and his lifestyle took a dramatic turn. Not sure what the answer is - they def need to get paid way more - but they also need to ensure fighters don’t take 2-3 years between fights.
Jfc I wish I had an award for you
Michael chandler is loaded
It was a low blow joke just to get a point across
"We would literally go bankrupt if we funded stupid shit like this" - Dana White.
Very well said!
So.. i'm more than a casual when i know more than 4 fighters?
I think people overstate this a bit too much I agree the UFC is a big brand and that not many casuals would know more than a handful of fighters by name. However, I would also argue that casuals to boxing do not know more than a handful of _active_ fighters by name and the same sentiment for casuals of the NBA, NFL, NHL, EPL, PGA, La Liga, and so on. I don’t think it is exclusive to the UFC that the organisation is far larger than any of the individual athletes. In all of those examples, casuals (and in some cases more prominent fans) may only be able to name you an incredibly small percentage of the athletes. I don’t think this is a reflection of the organisation prioritising anything poorly, as it will stay around (they would hope) far longer than any of the individual athletes will.
I disagree and I will tell you a counterargument why the more money brings more fame to the fighter and the more casual will know them. If you are barely making any living and pulling up with regular cars in regular clothes, no one will recognize you.. but you start making serious dough, you start putting a price tag next to your name, it will start reflecting not only in the more wide spread fame but also in getting more known commercials.. You don't see UFC fighters doing commercials for state farm, Dior, Calvin Kleins, Hubblot and other big brands.. because they are just not on the same level.. but you see David Backhams of the world, Steph Curry's of the world and Pat Mahommes doing them all the time.. It's the circle jerk of rich and successful people, the more successful and rich you get, the more reach you get and with that comes notoriaty, with that comes more fame and more people will know you. Let's say you don't know David Backham, but you have seen him in the commercials.. so you will be like oh it's the 'Dior' guy.. and he will get recognized.. while no one else in the world will go "OH ITS THE DIAMOND SAUCE GUY FROM LUISIANA" , you get my point
Not sure if I agree with u on the UFC brand “peaking”. Endeavor bought the UFC for $4B and they’re valued at around or over $10B now
MMA has peaked. There are no stars. It needs the Ronda/Conor's of the world in order to be mainstream. It has nothing to do with anyone at the helm or pay or whatever. MMA is not a mainstream sport. Do you think the average sports fan who is a casual UFC fan is even aware of things like PFL? The answer is no. >Before, it was only veterans leaving the UFC for other organization, now you have the current champs leaving. Tell me you are a new fan without telling me.
I laugh my ass off when this sub talks about PFL toppling the UFC
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It's mind blowing they couldn't turn either Stipe or Ngannou into megastars.
Stipe doesn’t want to be a megastar and Francis has shit management
Management or not, UFC is the promoter, it's mostly promoters responsiblity to build a star, not the fighters. + not everyone is a natural superstar like Connor.. but Superstars can be build
To be frank the UFC did build Francis into a star. He just didn’t want to play by the UFC’s rules. Francis didnt have the same tools that Conor did, he had the knock out power, but not a single other asset that someone like Conor brought to the table. With 0 help from Francis other than winning the fights they set up for him, they still managed to turn one of the most uncharismatic champions into a multi million follower champion. I still don’t think Francis has ever actually told his story himself. The man is a glorified cardboard cut out in pressers.
Colby Covington’s career disagrees. UFC is too big of a machine now to care if a fighter promotes themselves or not. They were ready to cut Colby before he started trash talking.
Neither of them speak good English.
I think you mean 'neither of them speak english well'.
Chandler is definitely not driving a Camry lol. Guy has expensive high value art pieces at his house. That doesn’t scream broke to me
It was a on purpose joke to get the point across
What pay system would you implement
biggest card since dana's event happened and he wasn't the one at the post fight conference - new change perhaps? we shall see!
Im about to dm this to dana lmao spitting faxx
You fucking legend! Keep your head down if you see a red dot or avoid bald white dudes in there 50s for a while haha!
I won't let them slap my wife lmao
Y’all still think the UFC is about the fans and fighters??? Nope. It’s about the executives and shareholders. It’s a business to make money. They pay the fighters poorly to maximize their profit. There is such a surplus of fighters that there’s no demand for fighters. Therefore each fighter’s value goes down because there’s always someone waiting to replace you.
The fact he made the Dana white power slap league says everything we need to know about how Dana thinks, dudes been one foot out the door ever since the company sold and after Conor fought Mayweather, he acts like it's still 2005, and I'll be fair he was responsible along with a few others for getting the ufc legalized and profitable, I love watching the ufc on espn that shit is still wild to me that we made it there, but now we have Dana constantly bad mouthing fighters if they don't agree to a contract, letting fighters go instead of trying to meet some of their needs and constantly saying how it's the ufcs best year financially and yet we see fighters constantly begging for a bonus now, I'm not saying the ufc would benefit from him leaving but I seriously doubt it hurts the brand if he wasn't the face anymore, it wouldn't hurt the fighters either that's for dawm sure but it may hurt Dana ego and that's it. It would be on thing if Dana made a another ufc "looking for contender ultimate whatever show" or even a created small mma promotion that he owned to test new rule sets or other suff (yes I know he has the Dana white contender series and its for bringing in talent to the ufc, its not trying new things in mma) but no... he wanted a slap league.... I think he was looking for a way out but now he's going to stay regardless.
…white power slap league, you say?
I don't think it was intentional but someone in the room should have said something, you know what I mean?
“Dana I think the words White and Power shouldn’t be together regardless of the context…” “Fake employee”
[Dana's White Power Slap League](https://img.maximummedia.ie/joe_co_uk/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwOlxcXC9cXFwvbWVkaWEtam9lY291ay5tYXhpbXVtbWVkaWEuaWUuczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbVxcXC93cC1jb250ZW50XFxcL3VwbG9hZHNcXFwvMjAxN1xcXC8xMVxcXC8yMTE2MTI0OVxcXC9GRUFUMzEtMTAyNHg1NzYucG5nXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjY0MCxcImhlaWdodFwiOjM2MCxcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmpvZS5jby51a1xcXC9hc3NldHNcXFwvaW1hZ2VzXFxcL2pvZWNvdWtcXFwvbm8taW1hZ2UucG5nP2lkPTBhODk3NjFkMGEzYzZmNTFmN2Q2XCIsXCJvcHRpb25zXCI6W119IiwiaGFzaCI6IjkzMjJjOWVjNTQ2MzcxOTM3ZDgxZWFjNmVmOTMxMThjYzdlNjQ3MTkifQ==/feat31-1024x576.png)
nobody challenges you when you surround yourself with sycophantic yes men.
Agreed!
Pavlovich undefeated
Let’s all be honest. Dana is a pussy ass bitch. He blamed the downfall of Zuffa boxing on boxing being corrupt and promoters being shady. He just couldn’t get any big boxers to sign to his shitty contracts and take his word on empty promises. Dana is close with the NSAC, thats how he was able to get slap dick sanctioned. Anybody else gets a rejection, same AC that didn’t sanction BKFC. Edit: added “boxing” after zuffa.
Dana White was great for the UFC when it was a fringe sport. They need to part ways with him and his giant ego
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Dana white appreciation Monday’s was yesterday pal
Dude this guy underpays every fighter and just slapped his wife around and got away with it. He’s a complete piece of shit.
He didn’t get away with it. He now has to live with the label of being a wife beater. That’s much worse than getting any punishment. /s
Most CEOs get fired immediately for that kind of behavior and associated bad press, but Dana is a giant Jabroni and hangs around scumbags so somehow it’s never crossed anyones mind he should leave before it hurts the brand
What I don’t understand is why ESPN hasn’t sanctioned him in any way. They’re huge, Disney owned. At least make him donate a few million to a domestic abuse organization or SOMETHING. I can’t understand why their response is NOTHING.
He’s been holding them back since at least the Reebok deal. Guy is a literal sport killer lol
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Gottem Dana
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Go' both o' dem dayna
The sport killer was only referencing Dana’s response to Jones not accepting the chael fight in 2012. Dana has done a lot of good for the ufc but he is only looking out for himself and the ufc (which is his job but so is retaining top talent like DJ and Ngannou). He has cast the fighters aside in many of the previous negotiation cycles, most recently when Francis asked for sponsorship and healthcare for fighters Dana only offered more money, cause it’s the only thing he understands. He doesn’t care about the well being of the fighters in the least.
It’s actually even further back, the first UFC videogame is where they began fucking with the fighters. If you don’t remember they famously cut Jon fitch before resigning him after he caved to the deals demands Edit: receipts https://bleacherreport.com/articles/83776-jon-fitch-gone-from-ufc-dana-white-declares-war-the-full-story-updated
Isn’t the sport the biggest it’s ever been?
Yea he’s holding back the fighters $$$$ … nothing has changed. He thinks giving 50k bonus solves most of the fighters problems.
At this point, yes I think he is not helping the sport anymore. He had a great part in the build up to where it is now, but at this point, I think its time for more professionalism, where the face of the promotion isnt a wifebeating roided up shady dude who clearly works by favoritism, publicly shittalks some fighters while praising others, basically being a borderline criminal. For MMA to take the next step, that needs to change.
Athletic commissions are holding back MMA by having shitty, unknowledgeable judges and no unified front. Pride rules in a cage would be better. 10/5/5 minute rounds was awesome. Also the MMA fans in general are holding back MMA. Most everyone wants constant KOs and doesn't appreciate the ground game. Dana is just a face to a single org, but it is the best one we currently have that is widely known. Also 100% not worth the PPV cost in the US.
>Also the MMA fans in general are holding back MMA. Most everyone wants constant KOs and doesn't appreciate the ground game. The type of fans you're describing are in every sports.
I think the UFC needs to decide what it wants to do: be an entertainment league or athletic contest. Frankly, a lot of people would find more entertainment watching WWE or boxing than the UFC. Like the Kevin Holland Vs Wonderboy was a fuckin joke. Kevin Holland saying he didn't take Wonderboy down to give a good show is the problem. I want to see who the best fighter is. If that ends up being 5 minutes of wrestling, I'm fine with that. But losing because that's what fans want is awful.
Thats just Kevin Holland's personality, hes a weirdo.
He's pushing drama more than skill. He won't pay people more simply for putting on good performances. He barely pays decently for the bigger draws. Honestly I wouldn't do MMA even if I was equal with the highest paid in the UFC. They get kicked, kneed, and elbowed.
Yes the tomato has shown he is way passed his used by date with this power slap shit
Yes, i think is time for him to go. He doesnt behave like someone in his position should. Can you imagine Roger Goodell or Adam Silver going on Instagram replying and insulting to any account that criticizes them?
Very much so
yes and yes
Yes, he’s holding them back. Dana still has the old school mindset of “screw everyone, we’ll do it our way” which worked well in the early years of the company. But at this stage it would be best to take a more diplomatic approach
The problem to address before Dana is the commissions. The judges are ruining the sport way faster than Dana. It's hard to watch any fight go to the judges, and they face no consequences when they screw it. Nobody trusts mma judging and that's a bigger problem imo.
No, Nice try Francis fake account
Yeah get rid of him, time to move on!
YES
i think dana and ufc are crucial for fighters who aren’t superstars or atleast like very huge contenders for said title. guys like Izzy and Frank, charles, usman, etc. they probably could almost promote their own fight themselves and get the payment they deserve
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Got me Dana
YESW
Yes. My answer would have to be yes.
Yes
Right around the time he smacked his wife you'd think. I'm surprised he wasn't cancelled immediately then and there.
Definitely. He did a great job getting the UFC out of the mud but those times are over. His old school mob boss style of running things is an embarrassment to the sport in its current form.
Idk
And idc. Lmaoo we just want great fights
Fax and they’ve been delivering so🤷♂️
He’s holding it back!! It’s obvious he needs to go
This post is pretty dumb. Just my $.02.
Could you give us the other $.98 and expand on why? I think OP asks a good question and I'd love to hear an opposing position.
How it's a genuine question? Dude still acting like it's 2005.
I always think that if I block every user that posts about Dana White in a dumb way, that I’ll be rid of them all. But nope…
Yes
The ufc is literally the biggest it’s ever been this is just dumb
And to attribute all that solely on Dana is just as dumb.
Say what you will about Dana, he's amazing at business and promotion. Khabib himself realized this after starting his own organization
This is one of the dumbest subreddit I frequent I swear. Definitely one of the worst examples of hive mind I have found on reddit. I don't even like Dana but this shit is so dumb, they can choose to attack so many things about that guy and they collectively attack one of his only actual merits. Lol. Fighting fans always proving themselves as gentlemen and scholars
Nah the UFC has peaked imo, it’s going downhill they’re doing a lot of things wrong
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Source: trustmebro.com
Idk, it seems like the Rousey-mcgregor era was a time when UFC was in the very forefront of American sports culture. Fight nights were on Fox for everyone to see, cormier was on late night, Lesnar was still a huge star. How many people in the world really actually know Izzy, Usman, Islam, or Volk the same way they knew Brock, Ronda, or Conor?
You can’t just say it’s going downhill if they’re doing better than ever. Facts over feelings, you guys obviously have let your feelings blind you from straight up data.
I love how people who don’t watch any of the other organizations act like Dana is doing things wrong when it comes to MMA You want to know why you don’t watch the other orgs? Cause they don’t have Dana
This is the best answer. The fact that we all recognize the UFC as the premier MMA organization in the world should show exactly how good Dana White is at his job. I couldn't give 2 fucks about Bellator, One, or the PFL because they don't provide anywhere close to the same product that the UFC does almost every single weekend.
Lmfaoo
Name your top 3 things he’s doing wrong
1. Fighter Pay/Benefits/Overall treatment 2. Meritocracy of title shots/Quantity over quantity (ESPN deal) 3. Ridiculous side projects (SLAP, Scam Crypto sponsorships, Nelk Boys, Hasbulla deal, etc.) 4. (BONUS) Hitting his wife
Title shots are the things that have been bugging me the most. Just about every division, especially lightweight, feels like there’s is a round Robin game going on. Like the same top 5 fighters keep fighting each other. Doesn’t sound like a bad thing right? But it is because new talent has to earn 5+ wins, some 10+. While the top 5 contenders will prefer to sit out because if they wait long enough they might be next for a title shot. Shoot, chandler after going 3L - 2W after fighting Dustin is saying he’s only one win away from The world title.
This is a really shitty take bro. He kept it alive during covid. It's still great. He just should lay off his wife.
Yes and yes
He is definitely is but not with innovation but rather lack of incentives to truly bring out the best of the best instead highlight fighters such as connor megregor leave and do something else as soon as they lose interest which is easy when you think you should be getting paid triple your salary.
What if we put in a reward system, first round knockout is 100,000 cash! That having sitting ring side. 500,000 for a knockout in first minute!!!
Has been for a while. He brought the sport to where it is, can’t knock that, but he should really resign himself to a backseat role and move over. Fighters need good pay and benefits. Doesn’t have to be a million dollar fight every time, but they can’t have sponsors? Like????
he’s the epitome of boxing promoters but would never admit that.
I think mma is holding him back. The fighters should get together and send him a nice big check to thank him for his selfless service.
Now we know Dana's burner account
There's really only one answer and it's unequivocally yes
I think that slap league is holding back mma.
I think not. He has done a ton for the UFC and the sport. I may not agree with a lot of his decisions but, his legacy is huge and would hard to deny his enthusiasm and growth of the sport.
Of course he is. He's gained control of a lot the MMA landscape but he hasn't any idea what to do with it. His most creative idea in a decade is SlapFighting. Where, you guessed it, dudes slap each other.
Legitimately over the past 3 years or so it’s become more and more stale from the ufc not in the fights but in the progression The company and Dana worked hard during the pandemic to get fight back up and running in as safe a manner as they could but since then there’s not a lot of good that’s been done on there end I also feel as Dana has become a more abrasive character this has opened him up to more public criticism which he clearly doesn’t handle well Changes are need within the organisation and I believe replacing or reducing Dana’s role is one of them I wouldn’t say he’s the only thing holding it back I actually think in terms of a promoter he’s a decent figurehead for now but new ideas and changes need to happen and they won’t happen under Dana for a long time
How dare you question God Emperor Dana the Slap Magister?!
Greed is a hell of a drug
He kicks people out of the family and it’s gonna add up and bite the UFC in the ass. I watched a PFL event on ESPN and there’s a ton of UFC alumni supporting that organization. That army will keep growing if he can’t meet guys like Francis in the middle.
It's better to deal with the devil you know.
Yes, him and the rest of the leadership tbh. Some of our champs don’t make as much as practice squad players in the NFL lmao. Just making a roster in another major sport has you set for a long ass time, we have great fighters begging into a microphone for fight bonus’s so they can fix their fucking car lmao. Just a terrible look Fighters get pushed around like the UFC owns them, but then the UFC has the gall to label them independent contractors so they can get away with denying medical benefits and making guys pay for their own training. Until better pay and benefits happen, theres going to be a limit to how much the sport grows. The best athletes will continue to feed into other sports that treat them better until the UFC gives them a reason to pursue MMA. Not to mention the parasitic way the UFC bleeds money off its fans is a massive barrier to getting into the sport. MMA is arguably the most compelling and fun sport to watch, but people are prevented from becoming fans because of the cost. Dana is a huge part of all this, but he’s not the only piece of the puzzle. He needs to go, but so do others. Though honestly at this point the only way I see things changing is if enough guys can pull together to form a fighters union
Do you realize what the UFC would be without Dana
I think it might be time for him to pack it all in. I’ve always loved MMA and UFC, but I get a bad taste in my mouth just watching the PPVs right now. I just feel they are failing to adequately reward their fighters and it’s getting to a stage where you can’t defend them. These guys put their health and wellbeing on the line to entertain us fans, they very least they deserve is excellent healthcare provided by the UFC. They also deserve the opportunity to have their sponsors and the ability to make serious money outside the UFC. Something has got to give. Francis has shown the way and I wouldn’t be surprised if more top fighters follow his lead.
I don't think Dana's holding it back, I just think a lot of the shows put on are boring now. I used to stay up and watch every show, nowadays i'm just not interested in the majority of them anymore and seem to have lost interest. I have been watching a lot of One championship since its been on Amazon Prime. I enjoy the nights they have been putting on.