Injuries are an inevitable part of the sport, and sometimes put fighters out of commission for periods. For example, Conor McGregor hasn’t fought since UFC 264 where he experienced a gruesome leg injury. When he was set to finally make a comeback three years later, he broke his pinky toe and had to pull out of the fight against Michael Chandler. Arman Tsarukyan also had to pull out of his title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 because he injured his back. Understandably, Dana White doesn’t appreciate his fighters getting injured. But Quinton Jackson feels the UFC head honcho has a sometimes questionable way of dealing with fighter injuries, citing his own experience.

On the recent episode of JAXXON Podcast, ‘Rampage’ invited the Armenian #1 lightweight contender for an hour-long conversation. And of course, Tsarukyan’s back injury was part of the discussion. After all, the Armenian fighter sent a wave of disappointment through the fighting world as he pulled out of his bout on 1oneday’s notice. But Jackson felt Tsarukyan did the right thing by pulling out because fighting injured decreases the likelihood of winning. What’s even more, Dana White doesn’t appreciate a losing performance, injured or not. 

He said, “One time I felt injured and I lost, and Dana White did a press conference was like, ‘Oh I don’t think Rampage wanted it anymore.’ I’m like, ‘What the f— are you talking about? I told you I got injured.’ As soon as I got injured I called Dana and told him, ‘Look I’m injured. But you know, I’m not pulling out. I’m still going to fight, because that fight was in Japan and I really wanted to fight there.” 

He continued, “What I’m saying is that people don’t understand. It’ll haunt you for the rest of your life if you go out there not close to 100%, and you go out there injured, a title fight, and you know your back is injured and you go out there and lose.” But there was a time when Dana White didn’t seem to understand one of his fighters’ injuries. Well, the martial artist was also at fault, but let’s take a look at the entire situation, shall we?

Dana White lashes out at a fighter for hiding his injury

On the other hand, if a fighter is injured prior to a fight, the organization prefers that they disclose the injury, understandably, likely to prevent long-term damages. So when Sean O’Malley decided to hide his injury prior to his title fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, and reveal it only after losing the bout, the UFC head honcho didn’t appreciate it one bit.

At the Dana White Contender Series 76 presser, the UFC CEO said, “If these guys come in and they have something that we don’t know. I mean, how would the doctors check for a torn labrum? You know what I mean? You can’t!” Injuries are detrimental to a fighter’s career and longevity, not to mention, expensive. Just ask Khamzat Chimaev, who once almost lost his life trying to train through his infection during the 2020 pandemic. Dana White was not happy with the Chechen putting his health at risk.

It’s always a tricky situation for a fighter, especially one whose livelihood depends on fighting inside the cage. For fighters who aren’t financially well off, injuries could literally cause them lose to out on their livelihood. In Arman Tsarukyan’s case, it’s a case of losing out on a title shot, which he can find his way back to. For other fighters, it’s a matter of survival.

What do you think of fighters who compete despite being injured? Do you think they should pull out and risk their livelihood, or is it better for them to come clean and fight another day? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.