Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), reveals that Vince McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), attempted to undermine him multiple times. White brings to light McMahon’s actions, which were previously undisclosed. Even skeptics will now believe it.
Although White and McMahon are currently collaborating due to the merger between UFC and WWE in September, their relationship in the past was tumultuous, to say the least. While there have been a few instances of cooperation between UFC and WWE on smaller projects, the two giants have generally operated on opposite ends of the fighting spectrum.
White, one of the founders of the UFC, has always commended McMahon for his role in transforming WWE into a billion-dollar company. However, White reveals that McMahon consistently attempted to undermine him in every possible way. From White’s nosebleed ticket to WrestleMania to McMahon’s proposed match with White inside the Octagon, these two figureheads clashed repeatedly.
During an appearance on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast, “Triggered” (listen here), White recounted a situation where McMahon blocked UFC from finalizing a major broadcast deal with NBC. According to White, the deal was on the verge of completion before McMahon intervened.
“I had an interesting relationship with Vince McMahon,” said White. “I never viewed Vince as a competitor, but I believe Vince saw everyone as a competition during his prime.
“He would stick with me just for the sake of it. We were close to securing a deal with NBC, but McMahon abruptly halted the negotiations. Instead, we ended up reaching an agreement with the USA Network. Vince had the final say on who could participate in the deal.”
White shared, “So Lorenzo [Lorenzo Fertitta] and I flew to Connecticut. We sat down with him, engaged in small talk, and then I mentioned, ‘We have a deal with NBC.’
“`Vince sat in the back, and it was clear that he was not pleased. We were trying to secure a broadcast deal that would feature UFC fights on NBC and other shows, but Vince needed to give his approval.”
“Vince responded, ‘Yeah, that’s not what I meant.’ We asked, ‘Why?’ He simply said, ‘I’m not interested. I don’t like the idea of you guys being on the USA Network.’
‘The entire deal fell apart. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, and we eventually partnered with FOX. This was just one of ten instances where Vince acted in this manner,” added White.
Fortunately, UFC managed to secure a broadcast deal with FOX, which paved the way for a groundbreaking promotional partnership with ESPN. Now that White and McMahon are working together, their previous “feud” appears to be a thing of the past. However, what do you think of McMahon’s decision to cancel UFC’s proposed contract with NBC?
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