JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Dana White Recalls Unknown Story of How ‘Full Blown War’ With Showtime Cost UFC Billion-Dollar Deal
Dana White revisits untold tale of UFC's billion-dollar deal fallout due to 'full-blown war' with Showtime, revealing industry-shaking insights.
Dana White is pretty much possessive when it comes to running the UFC. After all, White is the single factor that has propelled the UFC to the pinnacle of success. From the days of UFC being chased by the authorities for legal issues, UFC has become one of the leading MMA promotions globally. And White is not satisfied yet. He is constantly in search of making the UFC go further.
White is focused on the global expansion of the brand. The UFC head honcho has thus planned to host live events in Brazil, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi. Going a step further, Dana White has confirmed the hosting of a live PPV at The Sphere. Thus, when a man like White is dictated about how to run the UFC, it is quite likely that he will be enraged. And that is exactly what happened years ago, with a potential billion-dollar bill getting blown up.
Dana White recalls a full-blown war
Back in 2016, the UFC was acquired by the Endeavor Group for a whopping $4 billion. However, it was CBS who initially attempted to buy the promotion from Zuffa LLC. Speaking to FOX News in an interview, Dana White spilled the beans on how the billion-dollar CBS deal never came to fruition.
White detailed that he was in Hawaii when they were supposed to discuss the deal over a call. Ironically, White, who is known for being late at turning up, joined the call early, with a couple of representatives from ShowTime. He was already acquainted with them as some of them were associated with the UFC production earlier.
According to White’s statement, he did not like their work. Thus, when he narrated the same on the call, White and the ShowTime representatives had a huge verbal back and forth.
White stated, “And then it just so happens, we’re talking about CBS making us a billion-dollar offer to possibly buy the company. By the time that Lorenzo and Les Moonves get on, full-blown war on the phone.”
They even went to the extent of using cuss words towards each other. Naturally, the deal did not materialize.
White mentioned that after the call was over, he rang Lorenzo Fertitta and apologized for the failure of the deal. However, looking at how the UFC has fared in recent times, Fertitta does not have much to complain about either.
However, this was not the only time Dana White had walked out of the deal.
Dana White canceled a deal with HBO as well
In the same interview, Dana White revealed another occasion when he did not let a third party dominate UFC’s operations. Recalling the incident, White stated that back in 2007, the UFC signed a deal with HBO for the broadcasting rights of their matches.
However, after the deal was done, representatives from HBO asked him to make some fine tunings in the production. This did not sit well with White as he immediately called up his boss to walk out of the deal.
Thus, it is evident that Dana White has never compromised anything for UFC. It is no wonder that the promotion is now valued at $11.4 billion. With Dana White still at the helm, one can only expect more wonders from him in the future.
ALSO READ: Dana White Plans to Expand UFC Events Beyond Vegas; New Locations on the Horizon
You May Like This
Latest Articles
