Dana White now hands-off with Strikeforce, says Showtime execs nixed input
by John Morgan on Mar 04, 2012
UFC president Dana White is going to remain just that.
While the fiery UFC head recently said he was going to take sister company Strikeforce under his wing and bring it to the next level, White told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) he'll be hands-off from now on.
"I'll never make that mistake again," White told MMAjunkie.com. "UFC is what I am and where I should have been."
Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, purchased Strikeforce in March 2011. Strikeforce since has struggled to find a real identity, and many MMA fans have wondered aloud exactly how the promotion would carry on. It looked for a while in late 2011 that it wouldn't, but Zuffa officials and Showtime brass – the executives in charge of the premium-cable channel that broadcasts Strikeforce's events – reached an agreement to seek out mutual goals.
Many MMA pundits pointed to the departure of former Showtime exec Ken Hershman as the chief reason the two sides were able to make progress, and White openly expressed his eagerness to make an impact in the promotion, beginning with Saturday's "Tate vs. Rousey" event.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really excited for that fight," White told MMAjunkie.com this past month. "I'm really excited."
White was so excited, he was actually supposed to attend the event in Columbus, Ohio, rather than the previous night's "UFC on FX 2: Alves vs. Kampmann" card in Australia.
But at the last minute, things changed. According to White, new Showtime boss Stephen Espinoza decided maybe not all of the changes the UFC boss proposed would find their way into the event.
And, White said, he didn't have the courtesy to even make a direct call, instead preferring contact with fellow Zuffa exec Pete Dropick.
"I almost missed the first UFC fight in 11 years, and then I get the phone call from Pete Dropick when I'm in Japan," White said. "'Yeah, listen, they're not going to change pretty much any of the stuff you wanted.' So I said, '[Expletive] them.'
"You flew out to Las Vegas and wasted my time. Go talk your boxing [expletive] to somebody else."
White declined to specifically address what changes were proposed and/or nixed beyond "a few minor tweaks that we thought would make the live show better."
However, he did make it clear he thinks Showtime is making a very poor decision.
"These guys are letting a D-level producer run their organization, and that's exactly what I told Espinoza," White said. "You want to let a D-level producer run your organization? Go for it brother. Knock yourself out. I've got [expletive] to do. I've got another job."
What that means for the future of Strikeforce remains to be seen. In the meantime, White said he will abide by the terms of the current deal and do his best to please MMA fan. He just wishes he could have done a little more.
"The positive thing is we own Strikeforce," White said. "Strikeforce is never going to suck. We own it. The fights are going to be great. There's going to be a better in-house show and all that stuff.
"I'm going to do what I'm contractually obligated to do. I'm contractually obligated to Showtime to do certain things, and I'm going to do them."
