Dana White Trashes ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” Special About UFC Fighter Pay
Never one to be silent about his company, Dana White has stepped up to immediately denounce ESPN’s recent special “Outside The Lines”, which criticizes the UFC and how it pays its fighters. The investigative report questioned the percentage of revenue that is paid to mid and- lower-tiered fighters while comparing it’s pay structure to sports organizations like the NFL and the NBA. It also takes a look at its direct “competitor” boxing and how it pays their fighters.
In a nutshell, ESPN blasts the organization and how it treats its fighters despite its growing popularity around the world. Despite White’s refusal to take part in the ESPN special, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta appeared in the piece to defend his company. No notable fighters participated on record as only former UFC fighter Ken Shamrock, MMA Agent Monte Cox and MMA Fighters Association’s Rob Maysey painted the organization as one that strong arms its fighters. It certainly wasn’t a flattering portrayal, as it has become a spark plug in the MMA world and created numerous conversations.
Shortly after the special aired on Sunday, White released a video defending his company.
“ESPN doesn’t care about this sport,” he said in the video. “ESPN hates this sport. They won’t even cover it. They don’t do the great stories about this brand and about this sport that should be done. They don’t tell stories about the fighters. Have you ever seen any in-depth great story about UFC fighters on ESPN? Hell no, you don’t. You see this garbage ‘Outside the Lines’ BS.”
White chalks up the controversy to clever editing and the network not really caring about the sport. Watch both below and see for yourself.
ESPN’s Outside The Lines
UFC’s Raw & Uncut Interview
UFC rocks! MMA is so much better then boxing
This isn’t the raw, uncut interview. This is the one the UFC put together to show how you can easily spin the same footage two different directions. The actual, uncut version is almost an hour long and is available here: http://youtu.be/ck0Lb8pDmVg
This is so funny how they twist this…
There would be no MMA Industry without the UFC’s decade of Work, dedication and Investments…
ESPS is full of shit , how can people fall for this bullshit, don’t they understand how society works…
Back in the days, if you didn’t know how to hunt for your hunt food, you died of hunger… Now the UFC builds a flourishing Industry and makes fighters millionairs and that’s how they get repaid, with stupid bullshit all-production bullshit documentaries that tries to hurt their reputation.
That’s just wrong and now I know what to think of ESPN , fuck ESPN.
I watched it all, ESPN’s version, Dana’s Version as well as the hour long uncut. What I saw was pretty much what the Dana Version showed with the exception the UFC version threw their flare in with Matt Sierra, Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell which we know are former champions that paid the price and earned.
We all need to keep in mind that if it not for the Fertitta Brothers and Dana White taking the risk and purchasing a company and regulating an industry that prior had no TV exposure and was once referred to as human cockfighting then we would be left with boxing.
We all would be very pissed off at the games Mayweather and Pacquio and many others before are playing as boxing had always allowed the BS wait and dodge games. And for what 30 million to show up!!!!
I personally like how the UFC pays fighters to perform. Don’t we all live in this world? How much better would all sports be if you received a minimum to show and then win bonuses.
And as for how much the UFC earns versus pays out. I started in my company as Janitor and through hard work and education I made it to Director’s level. So in a sense I fought on many undercards for shit money to get to Directors level. That is CORPORATE AMERICA and our free enterprise system. Many of these fighters get side income from just makine to underscards on PPV as they can use their name to start their own gyms or other businesses. UFC is the hottest sports ticket now with the exception of NFL Playoffs. They are hottest because we pay to watch employees (fighters) do their job and be compensated well for this.
Stop and think about this. All Fighters get a minimum of $7500 for showing up. This is for 6 weeks of training their bodies for this one event. That equates to $65,000 a year. How many reading this and how many fans make in excess of 65k yearly. And to do something you love and for most maybe no after high school education. Hell Teachers make less than that.. And if I perform well and win that 7500 just became $15,000. And these fighters get sponsorship money from maybe their home town grocery store etc… Trust me, as an Soft Ball player years ago I got all my weekend tournaments and travel paid for by local merchants. And we were as exposed as a fighter entering the Octagon.
And for the record, it is difficult to find what ESPN paid fighters for their Friday Night Fights and other promos. They hide it well. Does anyone know if Lorenzo comments were correct at $250 for a fight?
Sorry I got so winded.. The ESPN story had me more pissed off then Dana was lol. thanks