Dana White Brands Oscar De La Hoya as “Two-Faced Lion” in Retaliation to Georges St-Pierre Fight Cancellation

Dana White has experienced many ups and downs in his storied rise through the mixed martial arts world. It includes the differences that emerged with some of the key stakeholders in the combat world. Speaking of which, perhaps there’s a dispute that still lingers in fans’ memories. It is the much-publicized quarrel with boxing’s Oscar De La Hoya. Though roughly 6–7 years old, it reportedly continues to this day. As the UFC honcho told Shannon Sharpe, there’s a good chance the squabble between them may never see a resolution.

After the conclusion of UFC 302, featuring the Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier headline fight, the MMA promotions will move to the T Mobile Arena. At UFC 303, Alex Pereira will defend his title against Jiri Prochazka. Oscar De La Hoya, on the other hand, is currently navigating through some ups and downs. The Cinco de Mayo show featuring Golden Boy charge Jaime Munguia, despite the loss, ended on a high note. But even after scoring an emphatic victory, star representative Ryan Garcia‘s future hangs in the balance on account of the doping controversy. Dana White joined Shannon Sharpe‘s weekly podcast ‘Club Shay Shay’ as the latest guest.

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Dana White: When two titans come into collision

So once done with the Jake Paul–Mike Tyson fight, Sharpe dropped Oscar De La Hoya’s name. “Another guy you’ve had some some some verbal spats with that’s very, very publicized is Oscar De La Hoya,” he asked. Then he pointed out that probably the beefing commenced from the time when ‘The Golden Boy’ alleged that Dana White created problems when a tentative fight with UFC great Georges St-Pierre emerged on the horizon.

The UFC president first tried to clarify. His spat with Jake Paul and Oscar De La Hoya stood on two different grounds. ‘The Problem Child’, according to him, is a youngster trying to make some money in whatever ways he can. However, that’s not the case with De La Hoya. He said, “Oscar De La Hoya, okay, is a f**king is a two-faced lion f**king nut job, you know, and yeah me me and Oscar are never going to be cool.”

When Shannon Sharpe checked whether there remained any chance of the two becoming friends again, Dana White flatly refused. So the podcast host inquired whether, at any stage, the relationships were normal. White confirmed that they were indeed once. He explained that, like everyone else, he completely acknowledges Oscar De La Hoya’s contributions as a boxer. However, the problem stems from the kind of person that he is.

The UFC President then elaborated on how there were times when, during social gatherings, he would speak up on behalf of Oscar De La Hoya. However, matters took turns for the worst when the 2017 Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor fight came. White alleged that initially ‘The Golden Boy’ started badmouthing the match. But then he also kept on insisting that he would barely take anytime knocking down the Irish MMA legend.

Issues linger over extended rounds

Dana White also highlighted the time when Oscar De La Hoya reportedly belittled the entire MMA scene. The head of ‘The Golden Boy Promotions’ reportedly claimed that fighters received peanuts for what they were doing. “I’m going to get into MMA; pay these guys what they deserve to be paid; no, he didn’t, and you know, the guys that were involved in that fight all got f**ked, right? Uh, he didn’t pay them more than they ever made in their careers; he didn’t even know half the guy f**king names on the card,” said the UFC head.

There are just of the few of the instances where Dana White and De la Hoya went at each other’s throats. In 2021, White alleged that Oscar De La Hoya trumped up the news that he was suffering from COVID-19. According to the UFC boss, the Olympic gold medalist wanted to avoid a comeback clash with Vitor Belfort. In reply, ‘The Golden Boy’ once again picked up his old grouse of MMA fighters not being paid their dues. He questioned the payouts for Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 266.

Sadly, it’s a spat between two grown-up, hugely successful men. Hence, in all likelihood, as Dana White himself admitted, this is the kind of difference that both may never be able to resolve.

What’s your take on Dana White’s statements about his beef with Oscar De La Hoya? Please share your views with us in the comments below.