Dana White is at it again. Known for his candid remarks, White has never shied away from a verbal sparring match. This time, his target is the Professional Fighters League (PFL). The backdrop is the brewing rivalry between the UFC and PFL. The UFC CEO’s latest jabs come in the wake of PFL’s upcoming pay-per-view event in Riyadh, highlighting Francis Ngannou’s return to the cage.
The UFC boss scoffed at PFL’s alleged $20 million spend on their event. For context, that’s about what White spent on UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. When asked to comment about this at the UFC 307 post-fight press conference, White didn’t mince words.
White said, “That sounds f***ing brilliant. How many tickets are you going to sell? Yeah, they’re not very bright. Yeah. So if I were them, listen, it’s all fair. Knock yourself out. They’re drowning. Drowning.”
Dana White’s critique extended to PFL’s marketing tactics. They cheekily promoted their own fight during UFC 307, which showcased UFC 307 fighter Kayla Harrison’s loss in the PFL. White’s response was a backhanded compliment, basically telling them to ‘do what they want to do.’
This isn’t Dana White’s first rodeo in the trash-talk arena. He has been taking shots at PFL since they acquired Bellator earlier this year. The rivalry between these two promotions intensified after the former PFL champion Kayla Harrison jumped ship to join the UFC. And now, the enmity between the two continues.
Donn Davis Delves Into The Structure Of PFL And How It Differs From That Of UFC
Donn Davis, the founder and chairman of the PFL, recently provided some spicy details about the promotion’s structure and rivalry with the UFC. He revealed that he didn’t start PFL because he was a die-hard MMA fan. Nope, he saw a golden opportunity in the sport’s global appeal.
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Donn Davis isn’t shy about throwing some shade at UFC and its head honcho, Dana White. He compared White to boxing promoter Don King. Davis painted the UFC as a “promoter-driven organization” where Dana White calls all the shots. In contrast, he positions the PFL as the people’s champion of MMA.
“Whether it’s you, or me, or the fighters, we want to go as far as we can go in our career. In the PFL, they’re not under anybody’s thumb. They win, they advance. They win four times more money… We’re not holding them back. We’re not in control. They are,” said Davis while talking to Yahoo Finance.
The PFL’s structure is pretty unique in the MMA world. It follows a sports season format, just like the NBA or NFL: regular season, playoffs, and championship. Win, and the fighter advances. Lose, well, there’s always next year. This is a stark contrast to Dana White’s UFC’s structure. But still, the UFC has a strong hold on the MMA market and PFL, being the young one, is starting to climb.
Also Read: UFC Boss Dana White Pretends To Be Unaware Of His Rival PFL Boss Donn Davis
