Dana White and Showtime Boxing Beef: Why Does the UFC CEO Hate Stephen Espinoza?

A recent incident clarified that the noted YouTuber-boxer Jake Paul is far from being the only one in a feud with Dana White. Most UFC fans are aware of White’s nonchalant attitude on the mic. Well, it has also earned him quite a few adversaries over time. The ‘Showtime Boxing’ head honcho, Stephen Espinoza, started beefing with the UFC CEO in 2017. However, White recently rose to the opportunity to open fire at his rival following one of his major failures. And reports say that the ’54-year-old’ grabbed it with both hands.

A number of ‘Showtime Boxing’ fans were disheartened recently when it was announced that ‘Showtime’s’ parent organization, Paramount Pictures, might discontinue the show at the end of the year. This is actually what had White bashing Espinoza recently. But a large chunk of fans might be completely unaware of the history of this feud between the two. So here is a rundown of it all.

The money fight began this infamous feud between Dana White and Stephen Espinoza

UFC fans can never forget the boxing match between the noted icon of the promotion, Conor McGregor, and the famed, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. Although this insanely viewed event resulted in the UFC CEO making a huge bag of cash, it also turned one of his acquaintances into his enemy.

White widely spoke out his opinion labeling the coveted event as the No.1 domestic PPV seller in history. However, he was infuriated by Espinoza’s remarks about the fight who gave it the No.2 spot as per domestic PPV sales. Espinoza was of the opinion that Mayweather’s ‘Fight of the Century’ had sold even more PPVs than ‘The Money Fight’.

This difference of opinion has resulted in the two taking verbal jibes at each other over the years. In 2022, Espinoza replied to the then UFC Welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman’s update on ‘X’ about fighting Canelo Alvarez. This had White quickly entering the frame. The UFC CEO derided Espinoza about the hits his business was taking, asking him to stay off ‘Twitter’.

Dana White chose to attack Espinoza at the same spot at his recent jibe

It’s pertinent to note that Dana White and Stephen Espinoza are completely at opposite poles as businessmen. While the 54-year-old turned a nearly dead, $2M organization into the $14B MMA giants we know as the UFC, Espinoza failed to generate enough revenues from the once insanely popular ‘Showtime Boxing’ to keep the show on the air.

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At the recent post-Dana White Contender Series press conference, the UFC CEO started off his Espinoza mockery in a sarcastic tone. He said, “That’s[the news of Showtime Boxing going out of air] incredibly unfortunate”. He continued, “The guy who runs Showtime Boxing is a great human being”.

But he finally revealed his real thoughts just a few seconds later. White said, “F**k Espinoza. It’s about time that their shi**y product is off air”. Well, a lot of fans might get an idea about the distaste White has for the ‘Showtime Boxing’ chief, Espinoza.

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Do you support White’s statements? Or do you think he should’ve been more empathetic in his approach?