Dana White Plans On Rushing Back To UFC Action
Or, Yes Dana White Plans On Putting People In Danger
Welcome to the latest C’mon Now newsletter. This is the place where I’ll share my thoughts on all the goings-on in MMA. Those thoughts could range from media criticism to advice for folks looking to get into MMA writing to why certain fighters or managers are not good for the sport.
Today it’s all about Dana White’s claims that the UFC will be the first sport back in action.
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UFC president Dana White did an Instagram Live session with welterweight champ Kamaru Usman on Thursday evening. White, never one to miss an opportunity, took that time to lash out at the MMA media, while also reminding those watching that he’s perfectly fine putting UFC fighters and others in danger. Okay, putting the fighters in more danger than is necessary.
“Here’s the reality: We will be up and running before any other sport will,” White said. “Our sport’s different. We have our own arena next door (the UFC Apex). So we will fulfill every fight for every fighter this year, and we’ll get this thing done.”
The UFC was the last major American sport to postpone its schedule because of concerns over the coronavirus. Now White wants everyone to know the UFC will be the first sport back.
What that probably means is that once the government allows small gatherings, the UFC will do everything it can to stage events at the UFC Apex, if the Nevada State Athletic Commission allows that to happen. The NSAC has a meeting scheduled this coming week. During that time, the commission is likely to consider how long it is going to shutdown athletic events in the state.
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One thing I hope the NSAC mandates once it opens things back up, is testing for coronavirus and COVID-19. If the NSAC doesn’t force that testing upon the UFC don’t expect the promotion go down that road. That’s dangerous even if the events take place without a crowd.
Ideally, the UFC would test everyone at the Apex on fight day with a test that can deliver quick results before the first bout takes place. The UFC should also consider follow-up tests and self-quarantining for everyone post-event, but again, the NSAC will need to mandate those tests.
White’s go-to has always been that the government regulates the UFC, and that is doing what it needs to do for the health and safety of its fighters. That’s true, if you consider the bare minimum acceptable. To me, White uses government requirements as a cop-out. You want your health and safety program to impress me? Then do a little more than the least you can do without catching a fine.
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“We’re doing the right thing as far medical testing goes and everything,” Whit added. “That’s all we fucking do. That’s nothing new. We were doing that shit way before the coronavirus. We were taking care of people and making sure that everybody’s healthy, and every fighter that’s with me on the road is getting much better medical attention than they are at home – if they’re with me. You know what I mean?”
This isn’t always true. Compare the testing that went down in Virginia to the testing that took place in Nevada. The two commissions are very different, but if White and the UFC adhere to the rules of the commission overseeing the event, then the UFC is gold. But don’t let White say the UFC goes above and beyond with health and safety, it does not.
Okay, I have a Patreon now and what that does is offer you access to these newsletters and the podcast as soon as I get them wrapped up. So, no need to wait until 6 am ET to get them via email. One other thing I am going to provide over there is access to some reading, watching and listening suggestions for you. I’ll try and get you hooked on those suggestions in the next few newsletters and hopefully you’ll join the Patreon. There’s no minimum or limit, so contribute what you like, if you like.
WATCH: Vertigo
My favorite movie ever:
LISTEN : Last Exit
This was the band that first turned me on to jazz. Before this I just didn’t listen to it that much, but the rawness and skronkitude of this group of musicians opened my eyes and my mind. It’s not for everyone or probably for most, but give it a listen with an open mind.
READ: Hubert Selby Jr. “The Room”
From the review by The Guardian: “It doesn't make for easy reading. The hero is a raging, nameless man in a prison cell, awaiting trial for a crime he claims he did not commit. Over the course of the novel, the reader is unsure of his professed innocence. The book takes place, in its entirety, in the cramped cell in which he finds himself confined, in the form of a rambling internal monologue.”
Probably the most disturbing book I’ve read outside of some stuff from Georges Bataille.