New Dana White interview at ESPN.com
Original Poster: Martial-Arts-Blogs
Forum: Mixed Martial Arts Forums
Posted On: 01-08-2007, 12:01
Orginal Post: Martial-Arts-Blogs: When Dana White speaks, it’s news.
Just back from a vacation to Tahiti, White recently conducted an interview with ESPN.com. While he didn’t break any huge news, White was very outspoken against steroid use in MMA.
While he’s never condone usage and has always spoken out against it, this is the first time I know of where White has promised punitive action by the UFC in addition to any penalties a fighter might be subjected to from the commission.
Here’s an example of one exchange:
[INDENT ESPN The Magazine: What changes do you plan to make?
White: Moving forward, I am putting the b—- slap on guys who get caught using steroids from here on out. The fighters make a lot of money. I have all these nickel-and-dimers starting up leagues, and they don’t steal fighters from me. There are a lot of morons out there throwing money around, and nobody’s leaving me. When what you’re selling is human beings competing against each other, there are always going to be issues, man. Personal problems. Contract issues. There are always problems.
ESPN The Magazine: But what is the punishment? What are you going to do?
White: They’re not going to get paid. I take care of all of my guys. If you fight your ass off for me, you’ll get paid. But what I’m going to do is: I’m going to wait and see if they pass their drug tests. If they don’t, you’re going to get paid what’s in your contract and that’s it.
[/INDENT White was also asked about what will happen to the lightweight title if Sean Sherk’s one-year suspension is upheld following an appeal that’s set for the next few days:
[INDENT ESPN The Magazine: What are you going to do with the 155-pound weight class?
White: I don’t know. Like I said, I trust when Sean Sherk tells me something, and I believe him. I’m not just saying this because I’m president of this league. He’s my friend, and if he tells me he didn’t do this, I believe him. He’s innocent until proven guilty. He’s not a liar, he’s not a cheater. We’ll see what happens. If at the end of the day the commission says he took steroids, then that’s what the ruling is and he’ll get whatever they put on him. That division will live on. This is a speed bump, and it hurts us bad. But we’re going to move on.
[/INDENT You can read the full interview by [URL="http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=2956319" clicking here[/URL .
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