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Dana White Says UFC Won't Back Down From Opposing Floyd Mayweather Event
PHILADELPHIA -- Floyd Mayweather may still be unbeaten in the ring, but he may get the biggest challenge of his life on the business front later this year.
On Sept. 19, Mayweather's comeback bout against Juan Manuel Marquez will go head-to-head with UFC 103 on pay-per-view, and UFC President Dana White isn't backing down.
"I didn't plan on going head-to-head with them. They're weird like that," White said at a UFC 101 question-and-answer session with fans. "We had that date, and everyone asked them to go off that date but for some reason they like to fight with us."
It's rare to see dueling pay-per-views, but unless either side backs down, it seems an inevitability. Mayweather has repeatedly badmouthed MMA, saying the sport isn't on his level as a business and that it was invented for white fighters who were having trouble succeeding in boxing.
"These guys think this is some kind of a war and we're trying to destroy boxing. I don't hate boxing, but these guys keep trying to go head-to-head with us and doing ****** s***," said White, wearing a hometown Phillies jersey in front of the Wachovia Center crowd. "I don't even know what to say. I'm not going to back down on the Mayweather date."
White explained that because of venue considerations, the date is unchangeable for the UFC, and regardless, he had no reason to change it.
"I believe everyone in this room are probably fight fans, so everyone wants to see a good fight," he said. "If we had a fight on one night, and that's the night you could see... Listen, I don't think anyone's crazy about the September [Mayweather] fight. But, people do want to see Pacquiao-Mayweather. I want to see that fight. If they're going to put it on the same night we're going, I'm going to put a pay-per-view right next to the octagon when we're doing the show that night. It's just ****** to do, but that's the way these guys operate and the way they work."
On Sept. 19, Mayweather's comeback bout against Juan Manuel Marquez will go head-to-head with UFC 103 on pay-per-view, and UFC President Dana White isn't backing down.
"I didn't plan on going head-to-head with them. They're weird like that," White said at a UFC 101 question-and-answer session with fans. "We had that date, and everyone asked them to go off that date but for some reason they like to fight with us."
It's rare to see dueling pay-per-views, but unless either side backs down, it seems an inevitability. Mayweather has repeatedly badmouthed MMA, saying the sport isn't on his level as a business and that it was invented for white fighters who were having trouble succeeding in boxing.
"These guys think this is some kind of a war and we're trying to destroy boxing. I don't hate boxing, but these guys keep trying to go head-to-head with us and doing ****** s***," said White, wearing a hometown Phillies jersey in front of the Wachovia Center crowd. "I don't even know what to say. I'm not going to back down on the Mayweather date."
White explained that because of venue considerations, the date is unchangeable for the UFC, and regardless, he had no reason to change it.
"I believe everyone in this room are probably fight fans, so everyone wants to see a good fight," he said. "If we had a fight on one night, and that's the night you could see... Listen, I don't think anyone's crazy about the September [Mayweather] fight. But, people do want to see Pacquiao-Mayweather. I want to see that fight. If they're going to put it on the same night we're going, I'm going to put a pay-per-view right next to the octagon when we're doing the show that night. It's just ****** to do, but that's the way these guys operate and the way they work."
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