The PFL acquired Bellator in a major move earlier this year. Obviously, this means that the MMA world was shaken up quite a bit. Dana White initially showed very little regard for the deal going down. He wasn’t very fond of either of the two promotions. But now he has thoughts that put the fans in a conflicted state.
White has acquired promotions before. Today, he sits at the top of arguably the biggest MMA promotion in the world. He has competition, and some fans allege that’s the reason White is suddenly showing concern about the deal. What did he recently comment? Let’s find out.
Dana White talks about monopolization in the MMA world
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Dana White acquired Strikeforce as well as Pride FC in its later days. Hence, he was responsible for bringing in more revenue into his financial streams. However, can that situation be looked at similarly today? Is it the same as the PFL buying Bellator?
Some fans think that it is. It’s only one giant buying another in order to merge promotions. This would bring together fighters and forms of the sport that may be different. For instance, PFL often sets up boxing matches as well as MMA. So why is the UFC head concerned with it now?
“It’s a bad thing. It’s not a good thing for there to be less options, not only for fighters and fighting, but guys who are coming up to have less options.” White said recently. While he does make a good point, is he capable of evading the same question?
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Now fans have their backs against White, claiming that his comments only prove that he is being a bit hypocritical at the moment. In fact, his sudden interest in the deal has taken people by surprise. Since earlier, White was just laughing it off, and now he’s concerned for different reasons. And it took no time for fans to share their thoughts and call White out. Here are some fan reactions.
Fans react to White’s comments
In March 2011, Dana White broke the news to the world that the parent company of the UFC had bought Strikeforce. Earlier than that, in 2007, White and Co. had purchased Pride FC as well. So it’s no wonder fans are fuming over the current comments.
“Coming from the guy who bought pride, WEC and strike force lol”
“Said by the dude trying to monopolize mma”
While some bashed him for his hypocrisy, others reminded him of his earlier disinterest in the deal.
“Why is he caring now? Wasn’t he laughing about how nobody would fund/buy Bellator? So if no one buys or funds it, doesn’t that mean it folds leaving fighters without a place to fight? Help please with the mental gymnastics”
Others claimed that he’s scared of real competition.
“It’s because he’s scared that there’s actual competition now and not a monopoly that the ufc has created”
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Yet others took their time to remind him of the time he bought other promotions.
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“Didn’t mind when UFC bought and folded Pride though…”
“Didn’t he buy out Strikeforce? “
“WEC, Strike force and Pride hearing this hypocrisy like”
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Clearly, White’s past will never stop haunting him. Fans of the MMA world are pretty observant and won’t let anything pass easily. Does Dana White really care about the real competition coming up? There’s no way to tell. But the truth is that two big promotions combined certainly prove to be a threat to the UFC’s numbers. Will one promotion reign supreme?
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