FLASH BACK JULY 2006

This is my interview with Dana White UFC president in July of 2006.

If you are a fight fan and haven’t seen the Ultimate Fighting Championship yet just turn on your television, Thursday nights on Spike TV and watch a show called Ultimate Fighter. The UFC is doing big things and from those I’ve talked to, think it is bigger than boxing and respect it more.

Fighting is a sport that has been around since the caveman days where men had to show their power and skills to another. That turned into boxing, which in the past few years has lost some serious respect. What I mean by respect is you can’t turn on a Pay-Per-View boxing match these days and expect to see a great fight and if it is great someone gets the short end of the stick from the judges. Then your disappointed you spent 59.99. But the UFC is where it’s at these days. Boxing was your Dads sport the mix-martial-arts (MMA) is the sport now and the UFC has it. If you were to order a Pay-Per-View UFC fight (which is cheaper and have one every month) you won’t be disappointed in the outcome. These fighters put it all on the line in the octagon ring and there is defiantly no dancing around for 12 rounds. I was able to catch up with UFC president Dana White this past month and ask him about the UFC compared to boxing.

White along with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC in 2001 and ever since then their vision of making it a success has been golden.

“We thought it had potential to be big,” White said.

Before White took over the sports it didn’t have any real regulations and you had to fight many times in one night to become champ. He put in the weight classes, added the belts, and produced superstars in the sport in a very short amount of time. The UFC is more like the WWE in the way it is put on but the fights are real like boxing.

“It’s not like the WWE persona, but it does take on that image because of the pyrotechnics,” White said.

The UFC is totally real. There are no story lines or made up fights, these guys are really hitting each other and it is very dangerous. Despite the danger the sports seems very safe.

“We are safety freaks,” said the UFC President. “We think every state should have MMA regulations. We don’t want to see anybody seriously hurt.”

The UFC unlike boxing has not had a death in the ring at all and they would like to keep it that way. The fighters have to go through so many safety regulations before a fight it makes you think its safer than boxing. Like boxing the UFC does report the athletic commissions before events, but what makes the UFC more exciting is there are no promoters running their sport. If they want to fight they fight. If there is a rematch it doesn’t take a year and a half to get it on. These guys fight and will fight again two months later if they need to.

“We don’t have to jump through all the hoops,” said White of rematches and big fights. “They have promoters and all kings of holes they have to go through that.”

White isn’t saying that the UFC doesn’t promote but what he is saying is the guys like Don King or Bob Arum aren’t holding up fight cards. The UFC has recently taken its show to reality television with the Ultimate Fighter. The show is beginning its fifth season. So much for not going to last.

“We have beat out the NBA and NHL playoffs combined in ratings last year,” White said. “We are also fortunate now with the TV show that we can build stars and promote them.”

Many didn’t think the show would work for White and the UFC because the Contender didn’t do any good for boxing.

“Stallone loves boxing and his heart was in the right place, but you have to have people in the sports promoting it not Hollywood actors,” White said. “We spent our own money promoting this (UFC). Nobody spends money to make boxing big anymore.”

Unlike boxing the fighters don’t make near $10 million a fight but they do very very well. A fighter can make anywhere from $4,000 a fight to $4 million a year. This also depends on the type of fighter you are. Obviously the champions and big contenders make the most but you can work your way up like in any sport. UFC fighters are not only getting big contracts but now they have endorsements as well.

White loves the fact that people are saying the UFC is better than boxing.

“It’s about the way we promote our fighters and we are very fortunate that we can do that with the TV show now,” White said. “The UFC is more consistent than boxing and nobody’s trying to secure their sports future.”

The UFC isn’t a flash in the pan sport that’s big one day and gone the next. They have promoted their sport so well that there are many faces of the sport like a baseball or basketball. They have many superstars not just one face.

It seems like anything White has touched with the UFC has not only turned to gold but platinum and now his next big move is overseas.

“We are opening a office in England,” White said.

This is a great sport that is going to be around for a very long time and it seems to be catching on everywhere not just in the United States. If you haven’t seen a PPV or the show on Spike I strongly suggest you tune in very soon because your missing out!