Man, Dana White Is Fucking Up
Or Isn't It Time The Fight Genius Wised Up?
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 decision to keep trying to put on UFC events in the middle of a damn pandemic.
Before we dig into things, please subscribe to the newsletter if you haven’t done so. If you have subscribed, please share it with someone who you think might enjoy reading my ramblings. Also, please think about grabbing a paid subscription. It’ll help me deliver more of these newsletters.
Finally, if you like what you read here, hit that little heart button at the top of the page.
Also, please check out the daily C’mon Now MMA Podcast. in the archives and add it to your podcast app of choice. Please like it, rate it and review it. That’ll help me out some.
We knew Dana White was stubborn, but we got a good glimpse of just how stubborn when he planted his feet, crossed his arms, scowled and proclaimed to the UFC’s broadcast partner, “Unless there’s a total shutdown of the country where people can’t leave their houses and things like that, these fights will happen. We’re gonna move on. These guys will compete. We will find venues, and we will figure this thing out. I mean, the only thing that’s gonna stop us is a complete government shutdown where everyone is confined to their homes.”
Well, maybe we got a glimpse of how stubborn and dumb the self-proclaimed “fight genius” is when he said that, because against the advice of, well, almost everyone with some sense, he wants to continue rolling along with the UFC schedule as if the coronavirus and COVID-19 are nothing more than a slight inconvenience. White made it sound like the whole thing was akin to a main event falling of an ESPN+ Fight Night event.
"I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and this stuff happens to me every weekend,” said White. “So, I’m used to this stuff. Not at this level obviously, but this is what we do. And we always make sure that the cards happen, and they will continue to happen.”
Do you know something about UFC, USADA, an MMA manager or a fighter, that I should know? You can email me at trent.reinsmith@gmail.com or contact me via secure messaging on Telegram at trentreinsmith.
Earlier today I was wondering what some other UFC management thought of the situation the world is in right now and so the first place I looked was the social media account of UFC Senior VP of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky. It seems as if Mr. Novitzky is a little more concerned than his boss, because he posted a link to a Joe Rogan interview with an expert in infectious disease epidemiology, Michael Osterholm.
Novitzky is correct, everyone should watch the video, because Osterholm breaks things down in plain language and he paints a pretty bleak picture, one in which no one with any common sense would promote a cage fight. But yet, Novitzky’s boss is doing just that.
This makes me wonder if Novitzky showed this to White or if anyone else in the UFC, say UFC Senior Exec. VP and COO, Lawrence Epstein, tried to talk some sense into White before he decided to keep pushing ahead with events? I would like to hope both men tried to stop White, but I don’t think we’ll ever know if they did. We do know if that happened, it was an absolute failure.
In my mind White’s decision to endanger fighters, their families and everyone they come in contact with while training and traveling, is the type of decision that should leave anyone under his employ with a certain sense of guilt, especially those who are in upper management. White’s knuckle-headed move is egregious enough that it would not be a surprise to see someone announce their departure from the organization because of it. But then again, this is the UFC, so…
ESPN has fallen in line with the UFC message. When White announced on Saturday that the UFC was pushing ahead with fight cards on SportsCenter the follow up question of, why White felt safe and justified in doing so was not asked. That was an obvious question that White needed (and needs) to answer. It was not asked.
I would love to see “Outside the Lines” delve into the UFC’s decision to try to make these events happen no matter the cost.
Hey folks, please consider a paid subscription. I would like to deliver more stories to you kind subscribers and the only way that can happen is if I can replace some of the paid work I do. So, something to think about.
