Video: UFC President Dana White wraps up UFC 161 in Winnipeg

At the conclusion of UFC 161 last night (June 15, 2013) in Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White appeared on the FUEL TV post-fight show and provided his thoughts on the key storylines to come out of the event. Watch the video interview above or check out transcribed highlights below.

Following UFC 161: “Evans vs. Henderson” Saturday evening (June 15, 2013) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White shared his thoughts on all the major story lines to come out of the card with MMA Fighting and FUEL TV correspondent Ariel Helwani on the UFC 161 post-fight show on FUEL TV.

Among the issues discussed in the interview were White’s thoughts on Rashad Evans‘ split decision win over Dan Henderson in the main event, Stipe Miocic‘s upset victory over Roy Nelson in the co-headliner, Nelson’s future, and much, much more.

Check out highlights of Dana White’s UFC 161 post-fight interview below, or check out the video embedded above.

On How He Scored The Main Event
“Rashad. I mean, it was one of those fights that was so close that if it went either way I wouldn’t have, ‘Oh.’ I would have said what I said during the Woodley fight. I thought Woodley won that fight two rounds to one and I think Shields barely won the second round.”

On The Number Of Close Decisions
“There’s always interesting decisions in this sport it drives me crazy.”

On Miocic’s Upset Of Nelson
“I was surprised at how tired Roy was, but no [I wasn’t surprised]. Stipe is a good fighter, man. He’s nine and one, the kid is a talented heavyweight, he hit Roy with some big shots.”

Do you agree with White’s overall assessment of the UFC 161 main card? Why or why not?

Keith Kizer: Dana White ‘likes to put people down,’

Mark J. Rebilas-USA Today Sports

UFC President Dana White once called veteran mixed martial arts (MMA) official Steve Mazzagatti, “the worst referee in the history of fucking fights,” but Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer says that White just likes to “put people down” because of his “ego.”

Josh Burkman shocked the mixed martial arts (MMA) world last Friday night (June 14, 2013) when he defeated Jon Fitch in the main event of World Series of Fighting (WSOF) 3, which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“The People’s Warrior” needed less than a minute to secure the submission win by way of guillotine choke (watch replay here).

Following the event, UFC President Dana White slammed the performance of referee Steve Mazzagatti (read it here). The longtime man in black did not stop the fight, nor did he need to, as Burkman simply stood up and left his lifeless foe asleep on the canvas.

Fortunately for Fitch, his conqueror knew when to say when.

But it the wake of Fitchgate, Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director (NSAC) Keith Kizer was quick to downplay White’s critique, insisting the “weird” ending of the fight was not based on a judgment call by the official, but rather a series of circumstances that allowed the contest to conclude on its own.

His comments to MMA Fighting:

“It as neither a positive or a negative on the referee. All of us in the arena, and the commentators who know their stuff, were really shocked Jon (Fitch) was out. Steve was right there. He had to walk two steps. He walked two steps and waved off the fight. It was very easy for him, and every easy for Josh as well. It was a weird ending to the fight, but good for Josh. The guy went out and Josh immediately released the hold. What’s weird is he flipped Fitch over, away from the ref. When Josh had the hold, he (Mazzagatti) was one step away. He had a perfect view. Josh flipped him away from the ref, then stood up. I would praise the referee if he did a good job. But here, there’s nothing to talk about the ref. It wasn’t a good job or a bad job. He had no job. I think most people thought Jon was going to get out. Bas (Rutten) and I both thought he was letting go of the hold and transitioning to another hold. The story should be about Josh getting an amazing win, doing the right thing, and releasing the hold. This isn’t about the ref. Dana’s a good guy. Very few people care about other people as much as Dana. But you’ve heard what he’s said about former fighters, former employees, even fighters in his organization. Even Jon Jones. He likes to put people down, whether rightly or wrongly. It’s an ego thing. We all have egos. I think it’s wrong when people lie and you can make your own conclusions on Dana.”

This wasn’t the first time White blasted The Mazz.

He wanted to “blow his brains out” earlier this year when it was learned that Steve-O was in charge of the UFC 156 main event between Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar, a happenstance White said he could “spend 45 minutes” complaining about (his rant here).

No matter.

As Mazzagatti said, he doesn’t work for ZUFFA and it’s not his job to make sure the fights end the way a promoter wants them to (comments here). Unfortunately, since White has been so vocal about the shortcomings of his nemesis, it has led to his fighters hopping on the bandwagon when they come up short in a big spot (example).

Two sides to every story fight fans … which one are you taking?

Dana White media day scrum full video for UFC 161 in Winnipeg

 

Get up to speed on all the latest and greatest news and notes from inside the walls of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from none other than promotion president Dana White, who was dishing the dirt at today’s UFC 161 media day from “The Met.”

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held a special media day today (June 13, 2013) to help drum up some hype for its UFC 161 pay-per-view (PPV) event this Saturday night (June 15), which takes place live from MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

As expected, main event foes and light heavyweight title contenders Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson were on the scene, chatting with reporters and making a case for a win this weekend, as were co-headliners and heavyweight hopefuls Roy Nelson and Stipe Miocic.

To see their staredown pics click here.

Of course, no media day would be complete without a video scrum from UFC President Dana White, who took the time out of his pre-fight schedule to dish a little dirt on all things mixed martial arts (MMA). We’ll be sure to carve out all the meaningful nuggets for you a as soon as possible.

In the meantime, highlights include, but are not limited to:

• Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks Welterweight title fight will likely happen in November
• Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson Light Heavyweight title fight will headline UFC 165 in September (more details here)
• Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos 3 Heavyweight title fight will headline UFC 166 in October (more details here)
• White says he would like to think his stance against TRT is influencing athletic commissions (like the one in California)
• White responded to UFC 161 fight card complaints, saying “we have a bunch of fans who like to complain about shit”
• White talked about Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez boxing match, predicting that “Money” is too fast and defensive for the Mexican fighter (more details here)
• White said the television deal in Mexico expedites a debut show there, but it won’t happen this year
• White said filming on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 is going “bad” because coaches Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate really hate each other — on a Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock level
• White explained the reason social media and fan engagement is very important to him and the organization
• White recommended that guys like Eddie Wineland and Fabricio Werdum should keep taking fights in their divisions and not wait for title shots
• White suggested that if Roy Nelson wins this weekend he might possibly rematch Werdum next
• White is done talking about New York regulation (more details here), but revealed that Russia is on the bucket list
• White predicted that the loser between Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson in the UFC 161 main event will statistically never get close to a title shot again

That’s not all! Watch the full video above for the complete lowdown. Enjoy.

Jon Jones on why he’s fighting Gustafsson next, his injured toe, meeting Fedor, and more

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting/Ariel Helwani MMA Fighting

After UFC president Dana White announced on Thursday that Jon Jones would defend his light heavyweight title against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 on Sept. 21 in Toronto, MMAFighting.com spoke to Jones about the fight, his injured toe, meeting Fedor Emelianenko and more.

Below is a transcript of that conversation.

Ariel Helwani: First off, how is your toe feeling?
Jon Jones: My toe is doing really well. Right now, I’m going to ease into some boxing and some wrestling with Cornell University, maybe try to get in at Ithaca College too, and start doing sports where I use a boot or a shoe, like a wrestling shoe or a boxing boot, to do some weightlifting, get my body fat down and get ready to improve my game.

What exactly happened to the toe when you injured it?
I chopped some of the bone on the right side of the left toe and tore ligaments on the left side of the toe. Now, I have to tape my big toe to the toe next to it, and as long as I can do that for about four more weeks, I’ll be fine. I just can’t put the toe in any quirky positions, like I would if I was doing jiu-jitsu, so that it doesn’t go the opposite way again.

I heard you wanted to fight in October. Why are you fighting in September?
I was hoping for October, but Dana asked me to do September, so I thought I would be a team player and try to help the UFC out with their scheduling. Having me so close to Toronto, I thought it would make sense for the company, so I took the fight. At the same time, I don’t feel rushed at all, so it worked out for the both of us.

Originally, were you trying to return in August?
No, I was not trying to fight in August. They wanted me to fight in August for the first FOX Sports 1 card, but I just thought that would be a bad idea. It was a great opportunity. I definitely want to fight on free television for the fans. I realize there’s a lot of people out there that aren’t in a position to buy pay-per-view. So, I would be honored to fight for the fans on free television, and I was going to jump at the opportunity, but I took a few steps back and really evaluated whether that would be a smart idea or not and realized that I should do that another time.

‘Rampage’ Jackson admits mistakes, reveals straw that broke relationship with UFC and Dana White

Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting/Adam Guillen Jr. MMAMania

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson isn’t playing the innocent victim in the drama that ensued between him and his former employer, UFC, admitting that he “messed up” when he decided to take the role as B.A. Baracus in “The A-Team” movie. But, despite his best efforts to make up for the “hard decision,” the relationship only deteriorated.

Quinton Jackson made it clear that he was unhappy fighting for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) the last few years. However, “Rampage” knows that when a relationship is troubled, it more than likely means that both parties involved need to assume responsibility.

During the Bellator MMA media conference call last week, Jackson said he was glad to finally be free from the shackles of the ZUFFA-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) organization and thrilled to be working within a promoter who “gets it” like Bjorn Rebney.

Even though Jackson is moving forward with the latest chapter in his extensive combat sports career, the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion today looked back at his tumultuous relationship with company Dana White, admitting that he was partially to blame for the tension.

Jackson, who has already embarked on a new hybrid adventure with Spike TV, Bellator and Viacom, broke it down during a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour:”

“I doubt he’ll (Dana White) miss me at all. I’m pretty sure I was a thorn in UFC’s side for awhile. I did everything in my power to fix the relationship. Honestly, I was wrong doing “The A-Team” movie because I was scheduled to fight Rashad in Memphis. That was a hard decision for me. I know I messed up by doing that. That’s why I didn’t pull out of that fight in Japan (February 26, 2012, against Ryan Bader) when I was injured. I wanted to show Dana that I still got his back and I thought I could beat Bader even with an injury. So I thought I was going to try to fix this relationship, but then that made it worse. Because Dana was saying face to face that everything was cool, but then talked shit behind my back for not making weight and said a few things in the press. That was the straw the broke the camel’s back. That’s when I knew there was no repairing that relationship and that’s the day I decided to say I am going to leave the UFC.”

And while he admits pulling out of his bout against Evans in his hometown, Memphis, Tenn., wasn’t his best career move as far as UFC was concerned, passing up on a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a blockbuster film really wasn’t an option.

His words:

“I’m in a lot better place. It’s hard to explain. When you’re sweating tears and they won’t let you have sponsors, they tax the sponsors, you want to make a movie, man, we’re human beings, a lot of people would give their left leg to do a movie. ‘The A-Team,’ B.A. Baracus, he was an icon for my people for a lot of years. A lot of people were up for that role, I felt like I was trying to further my career. You can’t fight forever. I took a lot of heat for that. The UFC didn’t see the big picture, but Bellator said, ‘We’ll get you movies. We’ll get you sponsors. Do all the movies you want. It’s better for the brand for the sport. So it’s a good thing.”‘

But, don’t think “Rampage” has all bad things to say about his former employer; admitting UFC is a “good company,” but when it comes to looking out for the fighters themselves, the world’s pre-eminent MMA organization lacks in that department.

He explains:

“I didn’t say it was all bad. I always said the UFC is a good company and it’s a good brand. I just say that they watch out for their own brand. They don’t really watch out for the fighters. They cut fighters left and right. We got kids. A lot of people forget that fighters are humans. We have families to take care of. We have bills. If you just cut a fighter, what is he going to do, where is he going to go?”

Jackson revealed he was indeed offered another deal by UFC, but didn’t bother mulling it over because he knew he wanted out.

Luckily, unbeknownst to him, Bellator MMA was waiting in the wings to scoop him up and offer him things White and Co. tried to prevent him from having such as a career in Hollywood and a pro wrestler.

Dana White banning Randy Couture from cornering his son was ‘over the line’

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Mike Bohn MMAMAnia

Randy Couture opens up about UFC President Dana White‘s “over the line” choice to ban him from cornering his son, Ryan, who competes as a lightweight under the UFC banner.

“In my opinion, that’s over the line … How would he like it if I was in a position to affect his son’s lives and careers that way? On one hand, he wants to tell my son he’ll treat him like any other fighter, and give him an out if he wants out, but then he turns right around and tells him, ‘You won’t be able to have your dad corner you.’ I’ve been part of his camp and part of his career since the beginning. He’s not treating him like any other fighter. I don’t see Greg Jackson being eliminated from Georges St. Pierre‘s or Jon Jones’ corners. He’s in the same show I’m in. I think there’s a bit of a double-standard going on there.”

— Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture speaks to Ben Fowlkes of MMA Junkie about Dana White banning him cornering his son, Ryan Couture, for his UFC on FUEL TV 9 fight against Ross Pearson last April. “The Natural,” who is also a UFC Hall of Fame inductee, feels it was “over the line” for White to purposefully prevent him from coaching his son on fight night after White publicly stated the second generation Couture wouldn’t be treated differently than any of the 400-plus fighters signed to the UFC roster. Couture’s relationship with White suffered a major blow when the 49-year-old jumped on board with Bellator MMA and Spike TV and even led the UFC boss to saying his former friend was “the furthest thing from a man” outside of the cage. Couture has distanced himself from any negative media involving White, but it appears he couldn’t help but comment on the bias he feels White holds against himself and the fruit of his loins.

John Howard scores 6th straight win since UFC cut, says he’d return for free

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting/Mike Chiappetta MMA Fighting

John “Doomsday” Howard wants back in. The former UFC welterweight has done everything in his power to prove he deserves another chance in the promotion. On Friday night, he fought again and won again. It was his fifth straight knockout win and his sixth straight victory overall.

Howard made short work of his opponent Chris Woodall, defeating him in 2:14 of the CES 17 main event in Lincoln, R.I. And afterward, to demonstrate just how much he wants another opportunity in the big-time, he made a very unusual, unorthodox offer.

“I might piss some people off, but I want to fight for the [Ultimate Fighting Championships],” he said. “I’ll fight for free on the Boston card.”

Howard (20-7) fights out of Boston, the site of an upcoming, August UFC event.

His run with the UFC lasted just over two years. Competing as a welterweight, his tenure got off to a great start when he won his first four, including knockout wins over Dennis Hallman and Daniel Roberts. But then he ran into trouble. First a TKO stoppage at the hands of Jake Ellenberger, then decision losses to Thiago Alves and Matt Brown. And just
like that, he was gone.

Since leaving, Howard, who is just 5-foot-7, has competed at middleweight, and hasn’t had any performance issues at the higher weight class.

The UFC tends to feature a few local fighters on each event, but the Boston show, UFC on FOX Sports 1, appears to be full, with 12 fights already agreed upon for the Aug. 17 TD Garden date. But as many fighters have learned over the years, when it comes to getting the ear of Joe Silva or Dana White, it never hurts to publicly ask for what you want.

Dana White: Jon Fitch is ‘so full of sh*t’, made over $300K in discretionary bonuses with UFC

USA TODAY Sports/Chris Hall Bloody Elbow

In response to Fitch’s comments on the WSOF 3 media call, Dana let loose in a rant about how well the UFC treated him throughout his tenure.

Only a little over a week away from his first fight since being cut from the UFC, Welterweight Jon Fitch let off some steam about his former employer at the World Series of Fighting 3 conference call on Thursday. Fitch went as far as to say his time with the UFC was like being “in a hostile work environment.” Fitch said he felt like every time he stepped into the Octagon he was fighting for his job.

As expected, UFC president Dana White wasn’t pleased with the statements from Fitch. White told MMA Junkie:

In the time Jon Fitch was with us, we paid him $302,000 in discretionary bonuses – $302,000. That’s money that me and Lorenzo decided to give him above and beyond the deal that he signed. He also made $130,000 on performance bonuses for his two ‘Fight of the Night‘ bonuses. That’s a hostile work environment? Everything that Jon Fitch said is complete and total bull—t.

Jon Fitch said he was working under a hostile work environment and that he never had an opportunity and should have double the wins he had with us,” White said. “He was complaining about what he had to go through here, about people saying stuff under their breath to him and all this bulls—. Jon Fitch is so full of s–t. He’s f—ing delusional. First of all, he had every opportunity that anyone else had. After Georges St-Pierre beat the living s–t out of him, did we treat him differently or anything?

“Just to lay it out with facts, Jon Fitch lost to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 87. He had an opportunity to fight for the title, and he got destroyed in that fight. He fought to a draw with B.J. Penn in a top contender fight. Then he gets a chance to be a No. 1 contender again and gets knocked f—in dead in the first round by Johny Hendricks. What f—ing opportunities has he not been given?

White went on to highlight the major PPV events Fitch has appeared on since losing his title shot at UFC 87. However, Dana neglected to mention that he was dropped to the preliminary card after losing to GSP, that his fight on UFC 100 didn’t air until after the main event, or that he lost his promised contender spot after beating Thiago Alves for the second time at UFC 117. White did point out that Fitch had gone 1-2-1 in the two years before he was cut from the promotion.

Fitch will appear as the main event at WSOF 3 against fellow UFC veteran Josh Burkman. The event will take place on takes place Friday, June 14 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.