Dana White on Max Holloway knockout: ‘That was the biggest holy s*** moment of all time’

TheMacLife
14 Apr 202434:30

Summary

TLDRThe transcript discusses the impressive attendance and notable moments from a recent UFC event, highlighting the third-highest gate in UFC history and the fight and performance of the night awards. It also touches on the impact of the event on the fighters' careers, the challenges in assigning bonuses, and the potential for future matches. The conversation includes reflections on the growth of UFC, the significance of the event in the sport's history, and the excitement surrounding upcoming fights.

Takeaways

  • 🥊 The attendance for the event was 20,671, marking the 16.5 million third highest gate in UFC history.
  • 🏆 Fight of the night was between Gaethje and Holloway, with both fighters also winning the Performance of the Night awards.
  • 💰 Holloway won $600,000, a well-deserved bonus according to the speaker, with bonuses usually being $300,000 each.
  • 🤼‍♂️ The event was considered special, with the BMF title fight embodying what the belt was built for.
  • 🦵 Max Holloway's performance, particularly his leg kicks, were highlighted as impressive despite his injuries.
  • 🌟 The event was described as potentially the greatest night in Combat Sports history, delivering on the promise of being a historic night.
  • 📈 The event's success is attributed to the fighters' performances, with the speaker planning to take care of the fighters involved.
  • 📺 Dana shared the finish of the Max and Justin fight on social media, indicating the desire to share exciting moments with fans.
  • 🥂 The speaker mentioned future events, including fights scheduled for June 1st in Newark, New Jersey, and June 29th.
  • 🌐 The impact of the event on the Asian market was significant, with over 30 billion views on social media in China.
  • 🎉 The overall atmosphere and production of the event, including the use of lighted bracelets and in-house production, were considered a success.

Q & A

  • What was the reported attendance at the event?

    -The attendance was 20,671, which is noted as the 16.5 million third highest gate in UFC history.

  • Who were awarded the 'Fight of the Night' and 'Performance of the Night' bonuses?

    -The 'Fight of the Night' bonus went to Gaethje versus Holloway, while 'Performance of the Night' was awarded to both Gaethje and Holloway.

  • How much was the bonus awarded to Gaethje and Holloway for their performances?

    -Gaethje and Holloway each received a $600,000 bonus for their performances.

  • What was Dana's comment on the difficulty of assigning bonuses for this particular event?

    -Dana mentioned that it wasn't difficult to figure out where to assign the bonus money for this event, as the performances were clear and standout.

  • What was the significance of the BMF belt and how did it relate to the event?

    -The BMF belt was created to embody the spirit of a true fighter, and the event was seen as a perfect representation of what the belt stands for.

  • How did the Max Holloway versus Justin Gaethje fight end, and what was the reaction to it?

    -The fight ended with a knockout by Holloway in the last second, which was described as one of the greatest moments in UFC history.

  • What was the impact of the event on the social media trends in China?

    -The event attracted over 30 billion views on social media in China, marking a significant breakthrough for UFC in the Chinese market.

  • What was the atmosphere like at the event according to Dana?

    -Dana described the atmosphere as incredible, with the event looking amazing on television and the energy in the venue being very high.

  • What future events were teased or announced during the post-fight discussion?

    -Several future events were mentioned, including a fight between Islam Makhachev and Poirier for June 1st, Strickland versus Costa for June 29th, and a potential fight between Conor McGregor and Chandler for five rounds at 170 lbs.

  • What was the significance of the UFC 300 event for Dana and the company?

    -UFC 300 was a significant milestone for Dana and the company, marking a major accomplishment and a testament to the growth and success of the UFC.

Outlines

00:00

🥊 Post-Fight Analysis and Future Predictions

The paragraph discusses the aftermath of a significant UFC event, highlighting the attendance record and the bonuses awarded to the fighters. It emphasizes Max Holloway's victory and the performance of the night, as well as the impact of the event on the fighters' careers. The speaker reflects on the success of the event and the potential for future fights, including the possibility of Holloway fighting for dual titles. The conversation also touches on the BMF title's future and the promotional success of the event.

05:00

🏆 Reflecting on UFC Milestones and Fighter Performances

This paragraph focuses on the impact of UFC events on the fighters' careers and the sport's growth. It discusses the performance of a fighter in the main event and the challenges he faced, including fighting with an injury. The speaker shares insights into the decision-making process behind scheduling fights and the importance of timing. The paragraph also mentions the announcement of upcoming fights and the excitement surrounding their potential outcomes.

10:02

🌟 UFC 300 Celebration and Fighter Recognition

The speaker reflects on the significance of UFC 300 as a milestone and the challenges faced in reaching this point. They discuss the growth of the promotion and the support from fans and media. The paragraph also highlights the contributions of specific fighters to the sport and their impact on its global popularity. The speaker expresses gratitude for the team's efforts and looks forward to future events, emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement and innovation.

15:05

🥂 Post-Event Reactions and Future Fight Speculations

This paragraph captures the speaker's thoughts on the event's atmosphere, the fighters' performances, and the reactions from the audience. It includes discussions on specific fights, the fighters' potential future matches, and the excitement surrounding these prospects. The speaker also talks about the challenges of organizing events, the importance of production quality, and the impact of social media on the sport's popularity.

20:06

🌍 International Reach and Future UFC Events

The paragraph discusses the global impact of the UFC, particularly in China, and the record-breaking social media engagement achieved. The speaker shares plans for future events, including a potential return to China and the excitement surrounding these prospects. The conversation also touches on the production aspects of the events and the speaker's focus on delivering high-quality content for fans worldwide.

25:08

🎉 Celebration of UFC 300 and Fighter Acknowledgements

The speaker concludes the discussion by reflecting on the success of UFC 300 and the contributions of various fighters to the event's success. They acknowledge the efforts of the production team and express gratitude for the support from fans and advertisers. The paragraph also includes updates on potential future fights and the speaker's determination to continue delivering exceptional events for the UFC.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡UFC

UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in the United States. It is the largest and most prestigious MMA organization in the world, featuring the top fighters from various combat sports disciplines. In the video, the UFC is the central topic as the discussion revolves around its events, fighters, and the impact of its fights on the sport and its fans.

💡Attendance

Attendance refers to the number of people present at an event, in this case, a UFC fight. It is a crucial metric for gauging the popularity and success of an event. The script mentions a high attendance figure, indicating a well-attended and successful UFC event.

💡Fight of the Night

Fight of the Night is an award given by the UFC to recognize the most exciting and competitive fight of a particular event. It is chosen by the audience and often features dramatic, back-and-forth battles that showcase the resilience and skill of the fighters involved. The term is used in the script to highlight a particularly memorable fight between two competitors.

💡Performance of the Night

Performance of the Night is an award given by the UFC to honor the fighter or fighters who have displayed exceptional skill, technique, and dominance in their respective matches during a UFC event. It is a recognition of the outstanding individual or team performance in the competition.

💡BMF

BMF stands for 'Baddest Motherf***er', which in the context of the UFC, is a title and belt that was introduced to recognize the most formidable and tough fighter in the sport. It symbolizes the spirit of toughness, resilience, and the 'anything can happen' nature of the fights. The term is used in the script to discuss the significance of a particular fight and the belt it embodies.

💡Dana

Dana refers to Dana White, the President of the UFC and a key figure in the organization. He is known for his involvement in promoting fights, negotiating fighter contracts, and shaping the direction of the sport. In the video, 'Dana' is mentioned multiple times in relation to his comments on fights, bonuses, and the overall management of the event.

💡Max Holloway

Max Holloway is a professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Known for his striking skills and toughness, Holloway is a former UFC Featherweight Champion. In the context of the script, Holloway is a central figure, noted for his performance and the significant role he played in the event being discussed.

💡Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje is a professional mixed martial artist who has competed in various promotions, including the UFC, where he has faced some of the toughest opponents in the lightweight division. Known for his aggressive fighting style and relentless pace, Gaethje is a fan favorite due to his commitment to exciting, action-packed fights.

💡Bonuses

Bonuses in the context of the UFC are financial rewards given to fighters for exceptional performances in their matches. These can include 'Fight of the Night', 'Performance of the Night', and other discretionary bonuses that recognize outstanding in-cage achievements. The bonuses serve as an additional incentive for fighters to put on a great show and display remarkable skill.

💡Live Production

Live production in the context of the UFC refers to the process of creating and managing the broadcast of the fights as they happen. This includes the technical aspects of filming, directing, and editing the live feed, as well as the creative elements like lighting, sound, and graphics that enhance the viewing experience for both the live audience and those watching on television or online platforms.

💡Social Media

Social media refers to the platforms and websites that enable users to create and share content, or to participate in social networking. In the context of the UFC, social media is a powerful tool for promotion, fan engagement, and content distribution. It allows the organization to reach a global audience, trend topics, and create viral moments around its events and fighters.

Highlights

UFC attendance was 20,671, marking the 16.5 million third highest gate in UFC history.

Fight of the night was between Gatei and Holloway, with Performance of the Night awards going to both Yuri and Holloway.

Holloway won $600,000, which was well-deserved according to the speaker.

The speaker reflects on the difficulty of assigning bonuses, especially on a night with many impressive performances.

The event was described as one of the special nights in UFC history, with the goal of making it the greatest night in Combat Sports history.

The speaker mentions taking care of fighters like Figuero and Moano Diego, ensuring everyone leaves satisfied with their performance.

The BMF belt was created for fights like the one between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje, which the speaker believes should be in the dictionary when looking up BMF.

The fight between Holloway and Gaethje was so intense it 'sucked the life' out of the following matches, setting a high bar for future events.

The speaker discusses the potential for Max Holloway to become a double champion, holding titles in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions.

The speaker talks about the impressive performance of Alex Bea in the main event, defending his belt and showing his star power.

Despite a broken toe, Bea fought with determination and tenacity, which the speaker commends.

The speaker shares an update on upcoming fights, including Islam versus Poirier on June 1st and Strickland versus Costa on June 29th.

The long-awaited fight between Conor and Chandler is finally confirmed, with the speaker expressing excitement about Conor's return to the Octagon.

The speaker reflects on the growth of UFC from its early days to the current success, highlighting the importance of sponsorship and media partnerships.

The speaker discusses the potential of UFC events in Hawaii and the desire to bring fights there, despite infrastructure challenges.

The speaker praises the performance of Kayla Harrison against Holly Holm, calling it a big win and expressing interest in a potential rematch with Amanda Nunes.

The speaker talks about the impact of the UFC event on the Asian market, especially in China, where the fight attracted over 30 billion views on social media.

The speaker addresses the entertainment environment of the event, including the use of light-up bracelets and the overall atmosphere, stating that it looked incredible on TV.

Transcripts

00:06

what's up guys the uh the attendance was

00:12

20,671 16.5 million third highest gate

00:16

in UFC

00:17

history fight of the night was gatei

00:20

versus

00:21

Holloway um performance of the night was

00:26

uh Yuri and Holloway Holloway won

00:28

$600,000

00:30

welld

00:31

deserved I guess Dana just I mean

00:33

normally we don't spend too much time on

00:35

bonuses but knowing that they were 300

00:36

Grand a piece I mean it was a little

00:37

more difficult tonight figuring out

00:39

where to assign that money uh it wasn't

00:41

it wasn't difficult at all I mean if you

00:43

were watching these fights tonight it

00:45

was pretty uh it's pretty pretty clear

00:48

but this was one of those special nights

00:51

obviously uh I'm going to take care of

00:54

figuro I'll take care of uh moano Diego

01:01

Kayla take care of those guys too we're

01:03

going to we're going to make sure

01:05

everybody leaves here in a good mood and

01:08

feeling like they uh they got what they

01:10

deserved nice well you set out to make

01:12

this the greatest night in Combat Sports

01:14

history I mean I mean I did we're the

01:16

bells and whistles guys we we do all the

01:19

and then once they you know the show

01:22

starts it's out of our hands and it's up

01:23

to them and when you have a night that

01:26

looks like the greatest night ever in

01:28

Combat Sports on paper and then

01:30

absolutely [ __ ]

01:32

delivers the best well talk about uh I

01:36

mean a lot to talk about but I guess let

01:37

me just start with Max Holloway the

01:38

$600,000 winner I mean can he's outside

01:41

right now on the phone with Justin gatei

01:43

right now we were talking to gatei on

01:44

the phone Holloway walked out and

01:46

they're both talking on the phone right

01:48

now and [ __ ] hallay is

01:52

walking hallay is walking nobody nobody

01:56

yeah that's crazy those leg KS weren

01:58

saying hadada there isn't anything big

02:00

enough on the [ __ ] table here to show

02:02

you how the the the thing coming out of

02:04

the side of his leg was 3D you know and

02:07

and he's walking and when you think

02:09

about when we were sitting in that room

02:10

and we created the BMF we came up the

02:14

tonight totally embodied what that belt

02:17

was built for and there should be a

02:19

picture of that fight in the [ __ ]

02:20

dictionary when you look up BMF yeah it

02:23

was it was incredible I was going to ask

02:24

if and I don't know if you noticed this

02:26

and if it happened to you guys too but

02:28

that fight sucked the [ __ ] life out

02:29

of to everybody tonight like everybody

02:32

was the next two fights everybody's just

02:33

sitting there like dead like it it was

02:35

like this adrenaline dump it was

02:38

incredible it's like people always ask

02:40

me what I do I sell holy [ __ ] moments

02:43

for 11 right that was the ultimate holy

02:46

[ __ ] moment of all time if you were at

02:48

home if you're in a bar or if you were

02:51

here live

02:52

tonight there's no bigger holy [ __ ] than

02:55

that absolutely and that's why let's

02:58

just talk about this fight for the rest

02:59

of the press 100% so that's why Max

03:04

Holloway is beloved and gatei Max how

03:08

many times have you seen a fight where

03:10

the guy wins you know he's winning they

03:12

click the 10sec thing and the guy puts

03:14

his hands up and they just run around

03:15

move around uh-uh he's got the fight one

03:18

and he's into one of the most dangerous

03:20

[ __ ] fighters in the business right

03:22

and he says let's do this and they both

03:25

[ __ ] oblige and they go in and just

03:27

start 1 second left and a knockout like

03:31

that that's like movie [ __ ] it's one of

03:35

the greatest moments in USC history

03:37

without it's the fight of the year if

03:39

something beats that fight of the year

03:42

holy [ __ ] I don't want to see the two

03:44

guys that are involved in that fight at

03:45

the end of the fight I love it what you

03:48

know you talked about thef title right

03:49

in the beginning it was one and done and

03:51

you know people always in a gimmick or

03:52

whatever like you said what we saw out

03:53

there tonight was insane does this

03:55

change your perception of I never said

03:57

it was a gimmick I [ __ ] did it I

03:58

didn't say it was a g I don't give a

04:00

[ __ ] what anybody else says yeah [ __ ]

04:02

you tonight that's what the [ __ ] BMF

04:06

is all about and I'm glad we did that

04:07

belt and yeah so max is calling for it's

04:11

here to stay a featherweight title a

04:12

lightweight title you'd probably take

04:14

them both in the same night I mean what

04:16

do you what do you do with Max Holloway

04:17

now the guy is just an unbelievable star

04:20

yeah

04:21

um I don't know we we we'll put

04:23

something good together for him I I and

04:25

I agree with you he was a star coming in

04:27

here and he took himself to an entirely

04:30

different level after tonight man

04:32

tonight was a a career defining moment

04:35

for a guy who has already accomplished

04:36

so many great things you know one of the

04:39

great one of the greatest featherweights

04:41

of all time and if not the greatest and

04:43

and and what he did tonight right

04:47

like he's always talking about how he's

04:50

got the best hands in the UFC and then

04:53

he does what he does tonight so yeah

04:56

[ __ ] awesome man I I can't can't say

04:58

enough good things about both those guys

05:00

and that fight it would be easy to talk

05:01

about only that last thing I'll ask I

05:03

just want to ask you about Alex Bea in

05:04

the main event a pretty good

05:05

accomplishment there as well you know

05:07

defending that belt what you think about

05:08

his performance and he reveals hey man

05:11

Brazil would be nice heavyweight would

05:13

be nice um so what you think of his

05:15

performance and what do you think of

05:16

where he goes because he's becoming a

05:17

huge star too yeah I I I uh he looked

05:20

awesome because I have a lot of respect

05:21

for Jamal too and let me tell you what

05:23

Jamal didn't come in here you know

05:25

thinking he Jamal came to win thought he

05:27

was going to win and uh uh the other

05:30

thing I don't know if you guys don't

05:31

know this yet but I'll tell you he I

05:34

just found out when I went up in the

05:35

Octagon because I saw him messing around

05:37

with his foot he broke his toe two weeks

05:39

ago and uh he fought tonight with a

05:41

broken toe I thought he broke his toe in

05:44

the fight and his team's like no he

05:45

broke his fight two weeks ago and he's

05:46

like yeah I I ain't losing this

05:49

opportunity for a [ __ ] pinky toe

05:51

that's what he said so um props to him

05:54

for that too and yes he's a big star and

05:58

I mean do do you entertain heavy Inc for

06:00

Brazil

06:04

I don't lie don't any of you [ __ ]

06:08

guys lie to me who thought Max Max was

06:11

going to win tonight raise your

06:14

hand all right yeah I wrote it

06:18

um so when you think about him moving up

06:22

to heavyweight you know you you got

06:24

Jones you got Aspen and the list goes on

06:26

and on in that heavyweight division

06:29

heavyweight division is nasty I don't I

06:31

don't know if that's the right move for

06:33

him he looked damn good tonight in the

06:36

division he's in so I think you might

06:39

want to stick around there for a minute

06:40

but I I don't know these are all things

06:41

that we'll talk about for the next 15

06:44

Tuesdays you know what I mean so we'll

06:47

get it figured out Dana you posted the

06:49

Finish to Max and Justin on your social

06:51

media so obviously that's pay-per-view

06:53

finish that you let people see for free

06:54

do you do that just because you're so

06:56

excited and you want to share it or

06:57

because you think this can make Max into

06:59

a massive star just using a separate how

07:01

do you not post that I mean I mean that

07:04

that that needs to be shared we posted

07:05

it ESPN posted it we all posted it you

07:09

probably all posted it

07:11

too if you didn't [ __ ] post it

07:15

officially permission uh in the co-main

07:17

event I'm getting

07:18

notes this has never happened

07:21

before going to read

07:25

them huh June 1st Newark New Jersey

07:29

pay-per-view

07:30

view Main

07:32

Event Islam versus

07:35

poier let's go

07:38

[ __ ] Co Main Event five rounds

07:42

Strickland versus

07:45

Costa that's a June

07:51

29th Conor versus

07:55

Chandler five rounds 170 lbs

07:59

who's got the next question I I'll take

08:02

it Dana thank you for just dropping that

08:03

little nugget on us um the Conor charler

08:05

fight obviously a fight that's been in

08:06

the works for ages um I know you've been

08:08

working on it for ages what finally got

08:10

it across the line and how exciting is

08:12

it to finally get Conor back in the

08:13

Octagon well it's not that we've been

08:15

working on it for ages um you know there

08:18

there's all kinds of things that go on

08:19

behind the

08:20

scenes

08:23

um and uh you know it's all about timing

08:27

Chandler's been ready but but Connor

08:28

hasn't been ready Conor I we talked

08:31

about this at one of the press

08:32

conferences recently he had a lot of uh

08:35

obligations that that he had to deal

08:37

with what you don't want him doing is

08:39

accepting a fight when he's got a ton of

08:41

obligations and he can't train 100% for

08:44

a fight so here we are tonight obviously

08:48

he suffered that traumatic leg injury in

08:50

his last fight and he has said that when

08:52

he comes back it'll be the greatest

08:53

comeback in sporting history if he was

08:55

to come back and win that fight would it

08:57

be one of the best comebacks considering

08:59

the this the injury he suffered well I

09:01

think I think when you look at that

09:03

injury it's happened in the in in UFC we

09:06

just saw Chris Wiman come back Anderson

09:08

came back from it you saw you've seen it

09:10

in

09:10

football it's it's probably one of the

09:12

nastiest injuries that you could

09:14

possibly get you

09:16

know for some reason you know you see

09:18

guys with broken arms all the time and

09:20

stuff like that happens it's hard for us

09:22

as humans to wrap our brain around that

09:24

bone breaking that's just a it's a nasty

09:27

injury and it's a rough recovery too

09:30

it's a really rough recovery I mean know

09:31

any of you guys that saw who's the

09:32

football guy that did it uh Rogers huh

09:36

Rogers bunch of football fans in here

09:39

huh uh whatever his [ __ ] name is

09:41

anyway if you saw the the piece that

09:43

they did on him trying to recover from

09:45

that from that injury it's pretty nasty

09:48

Alex huh yeah that was it right

09:51

alith Alex Smith yeah

09:56

okay who whoever it was [ __ ] nasty

09:59

yeah go ahead here in the back want to

10:01

talk to you about one of the most Savage

10:03

moments I've ever witnessed in my life

10:06

that moment where Pereira just moves

10:09

Herb Dean away without even looking at

10:11

him he didn't even take his eyes off

10:13

Jamal Hill what did you think about that

10:16

insane moment and 10 seconds later

10:18

knocking him out of course oh yeah oh

10:21

yeah yeah yeah I see what you're saying

10:22

I thought you were talking about what he

10:23

did after he knocked him out yeah so

10:25

well you you you left the part out he

10:27

got hit in the groin he tried to stay

10:30

he's like uh-uh oh and then knocks him

10:33

out yeah I agree with you sir that was

10:34

incredibly gangster congratulations on

10:37

an absolutely amazing event thank you I

10:39

appreciate it Dan white back here yes um

10:42

so as a fan in in a fan perspective what

10:45

meant most to you and what did you like

10:47

most uh UFC 100 200 or 300 300's tough

10:51

to to top you know what I mean obviously

10:53

hitting 100 was a you know Lorenzo and I

10:56

in the old days we used to do five shows

10:59

year right so when you think about we

11:03

always knew we wanted to do more events

11:05

never do you think that you're going to

11:06

end up doing every time we would try to

11:08

push and do more everybody would say you

11:09

can't do it that's too many fights then

11:11

the the the fans and the media start to

11:13

go ah there's too much now and when

11:16

you're putting on great fights there's

11:17

never too many fights as long as you're

11:19

putting on good quality fights there's

11:22

never too many so Lorenzo and I never

11:25

dreamed in a million years we thought

11:27

we'd be like 90 when we hit UFC 100 so

11:30

when we did it as quick as we did

11:32

obviously that was a huge milestone for

11:33

us

11:34

but I mean in in the history of me doing

11:38

th this type of work I I don't know what

11:41

tops 300 so mission accomplished and

11:45

from a promoter standpoint do you ever

11:47

just take a look back and say okay when

11:49

I first became the president of the

11:51

company when we first purchased the

11:52

company uh did you ever fathom that you

11:54

would get to 300 events I mean and did

11:57

you ever give yourself your own flowers

11:58

for what you have accomplished and what

12:00

you have done for the sport I mean every

12:02

single major promotion fell by the

12:04

wayside especially the ones that were

12:05

bigger at the time maybe Pride but you

12:07

know do you ever give yourself your

12:08

flowers and give yourself a pad on the

12:09

bat for what you have done for this

12:10

Sport and just take a look back and I

12:12

say this all the time I have no reare

12:14

mirrors rear mirrors in life I just keep

12:16

looking forward and and and I'm always

12:19

thinking about um how much bigger it can

12:21

be and what else we need to do and I

12:23

don't ever think think about that stuff

12:25

obviously I'm very happy with what we've

12:28

accomplished and and

12:30

uh me and my team and and you know I I

12:33

think that every year that we keep

12:35

beating what we did last year and we be

12:37

keep becoming more

12:39

successful me me and my team become

12:42

closer and stronger every year and

12:44

that's a very scary thing and one more

12:47

question for me uh Mark Coleman

12:48

obviously with the uh BMF title he's now

12:51

a hero in not just wrestling and the MMA

12:53

Community by Hero across the world uh do

12:55

you guys he's a superhero I love him so

12:58

uh do you plan on continuing the

12:59

relationship with him especially cuz

13:00

what he have done for the sport and part

13:02

of that generation to help build the

13:03

sport to what is today n not that he

13:05

just did what he did I'm going to

13:06

[ __ ] kick him to the curb and never

13:07

talk to him again nah I'm done with Mark

13:09

Coleman of course I'm going to have a

13:11

great relationship with Mark Coleman

13:12

he's one of the nicest guys in the world

13:14

he's a legend in the sport he just saved

13:16

you know his parents from a burning

13:18

building and went back in and tried to

13:20

get the dog um you know and and could

13:23

have died you know Mark's been through a

13:26

lot of things in his life he's he's

13:27

battled some demons and and uh he won

13:31

and or he's winning I should say right

13:33

now I don't know if you ever win

13:36

battling demons but he's winning and uh

13:39

I think he's got a great relationship

13:40

with his kids and he's in a good place

13:42

man so uh I'm happy for him it it was an

13:45

honor to honor him tonight Dana just

13:48

down to your right thank you Dana yep I

13:51

believe you said after the par

14:15

got it no it's over

14:19

no one second okay I'm getting hand

14:22

signals from the

14:24

back yeah I wore a bow I wore a bow tie

14:28

gave a t-shirt

14:29

wear suit I had to take my [ __ ] suit

14:31

off n hours I had my suit on tonight I

14:33

usually don't show up till the main card

14:35

go ahead I'll try to hear you did you

14:37

said off the Paris lap event the other

14:38

night you didn't actually have a deal

14:39

with Conor so what was the conversation

14:41

like I'm guessing today about the deal

14:43

the mic goes out as soon as I get a

14:45

power slap [ __ ] question come on this

14:48

is

14:49

[ __ ] [ __ ] what happened what did

14:52

he say he said last night at the power

14:54

slap press conference didn't have oh

14:56

yeah yeah no that happened today yeah we

14:58

got that done today and then he said

14:59

what was a conversation like to get it

15:01

done it's NE it's never hard with Connor

15:04

it's never hard with Connor Connor's I I

15:07

say it all the time Connor's been a

15:08

great partner uh he's he's he's easy to

15:11

deal with and we're back yeah Conor's

15:15

always been easy to deal with he's he's

15:17

a

15:19

uh he's a smart dude and and and Connor

15:25

is a DieHard UFC guy and will be till he

15:29

retires and and Beyond I believe Ian

15:32

Gary said him and Kobe have agreed to

15:35

fight would that be a good fight for

15:37

that Conor McGregor card I don't know

15:40

we'll figure that out on many Tuesdays

15:43

uh over the next several weeks um that's

15:46

all the fights that I have for you now

15:47

the ones that I just announced and just

15:49

wondering if you saw Amanda nunes's

15:51

reaction I did I like it I thought she

15:54

retired too soon anyway I like that

15:56

she's intrigued by this fight I love it

15:58

and I love Amanda Amanda and I have an

16:00

incredible relationship and um I think

16:03

she's she's the goat in all Combat

16:05

Sports female um so if Kayla can get in

16:09

there and win a title it would

16:11

absolutely be fun to see her come back

16:13

and uh and try to grab it again thank

16:15

you right kind of going off of that what

16:18

did you make of Kayla's performance and

16:19

on the flip side what do you do with

16:20

Holly after this performance yeah she

16:22

she she uh let me tell you what so going

16:25

in against a legend like Holly right

16:28

who's got

16:29

tons of time in the octagon and I don't

16:32

care how what level Kayla Harrison has

16:35

has competed at I guarantee you she had

16:37

some serious Jitters tonight and she

16:40

came in there she performed and and she

16:44

literally put it to an absolute Legend

16:47

in all of Combat Sports so uh obviously

16:51

a big night for her and a big win and uh

16:54

I would love to see Holly retire cyborg

16:56

also tweeted that she wants the winner

16:57

of Amanda

17:00

yeah

17:02

um uh and um in the Coman event uh did

17:04

you see Yan xan looked like she got

17:06

choked out at the end of the first round

17:08

and then she still got up and she

17:09

definitely did yeah I mean she was I

17:11

mean another gangster uh fight those two

17:16

the problem for those two is was the

17:18

fight that was before it um those those

17:20

guys both fought a great fight tonight

17:22

and uh she was choked out but she stood

17:25

up and she walked back to her corner and

17:27

you know yeah and what did you make of

17:30

uh jaylen's walk-off KO that I know man

17:33

he's going to regret that one for the

17:34

next few weeks uh beautiful shot should

17:37

have jumped on him and finished him and

17:40

uh yeah I feel sorry for the kid and

17:43

then uh de goopes uh wants to fight June

17:46

29th against moar and then he wants to

17:47

fight in the sphere against someone like

17:49

IL or Brian or someone like that I love

17:51

it I love it we'll see what happens I

17:53

listen how badass is that kid how fun

17:56

and exciting is he that kid's going to

17:58

be an absolute super superar so I listen

18:01

when guys say hey I want to fight here

18:02

there and every I I love that [ __ ] so

18:04

I'm looking forward to it Dana any

18:06

update going back to Canada at all

18:08

Canadian fans are wondering uh not right

18:11

here off the top of my head I can't

18:12

think of

18:13

any no yes yeah we will but no not not

18:18

right here right now off the top of my

18:19

head Dani um I know you talked about UFC

18:23

UFC Hawaii for a long time you said it's

18:25

kind of impossible but I know that

18:27

you're looking to go to Hawaii for power

18:28

SL but yep with Max with Max hallway

18:31

being such a legend like do you feel

18:33

like it's you have to bring him to

18:34

Hawaii let me ask you a

18:36

question I have uh how many employees do

18:39

we have now

18:42

550 you think all 550 of my employees

18:45

don't want to go to [ __ ] Hawaii and

18:46

do a fight believe me we do I want to go

18:50

to Hawaii Hawaii has been good to this

18:52

company into this sport for a very long

18:55

time um max Holloway is an ABS I mean

18:58

we're talking T night the kid went to a

19:00

whole another level tonight and he was

19:01

already a superstar they don't have the

19:03

infrastructure for a fight over there

19:05

just we can't do it even if it's just

19:07

like a little fight night you a cramped

19:09

little Apex event like in Hawaii like

19:13

wouldn't that the atmosphere just be off

19:15

the wall for Max hway yeah but there's

19:17

more to it than that there's more to it

19:19

than just going and doing a little you

19:21

you're you're not going to go to Hawaii

19:22

into an apex fight night you know what I

19:24

mean might as well [ __ ] stay here and

19:27

let him fly over here and it just it

19:29

doesn't make sense I got what were you

19:31

goingon to say I was going to say

19:33

Bellator has had a Hawaii events

19:36

Bellator could put on a [ __ ] fight in

19:37

the parking

19:38

lot dude I can't even believe you just

19:41

said that PF Lor could you know pfl

19:45

theor was here on Friday did anybody

19:46

know that you're the media guys I didn't

19:47

know till [ __ ] Friday they were

19:49

selling tickets buy two get two

19:52

free I'm not busting on them that's a

19:54

[ __ ] fact they put out a a a memo buy

19:57

two get two free you're having a bad

19:59

[ __ ] week if those are the memos

20:01

you're putting

20:02

out there were more people in my [ __ ]

20:04

green room tonight than there were at

20:06

the

20:06

fight finally uh bo nickel what do you

20:09

think of his performance incredible

20:11

looked great the thing you got to

20:13

understand about that kid he's uh he's

20:16

5-0 fought a guy with 15 fights and and

20:19

and he went out there he was a [ __ ]

20:21

2001 favorite and look like it you know

20:24

what I mean um he's got a lot of

20:26

pressure on him right now he got uh you

20:30

know all these expectations and I think

20:32

that some of the people feel like he's

20:35

getting uh you know this this

20:37

preferential treatment now we believe in

20:40

the kid we think that he's going to be a

20:42

stud and we think he's going to be a

20:43

star so he he's he's handling this

20:47

pressure really really well you know

20:50

what I mean he's got the type of

20:52

pressure on him that after he wins

20:54

against a guy who has 15 fights and he

20:57

has five and and he finishes them he

21:00

says thumbs down I said kid you got you

21:04

got to stop putting that kind of

21:05

pressure on yourself you just come out

21:07

and do what you do just keep [ __ ]

21:09

doing what you do keep winning you look

21:12

great block out all this [ __ ]

21:14

[ __ ] and noise and yes um going back

21:18

to Amanda and Kayla would you ever

21:20

consider doing that fight as a BMF typ

21:22

title fight for women um well if they

21:28

did it it would be for the belt it would

21:30

be for the championship what neither of

21:32

them hold a title right now so well they

21:33

won't fight right now I I think what

21:35

Amanda was saying interesting let's see

21:38

how this plays out if she wins the belt

21:41

then maybe I come back that's what I

21:44

read for it I didn't I don't think she

21:45

was saying hey let's BMF this uh I think

21:48

she wants to come back and and maybe see

21:49

if she can regain her title and and then

21:52

it's one of those things and she's

21:53

brilliant she's brilliant for this

21:54

because she's already looked at as the

21:56

goat right and then you have this scary

21:58

new woman that comes in and and she

22:00

destroys Holly Holm can she win the

22:03

title can she get through paa and and

22:05

and and and Raquel and if she does for

22:07

her to come back again and then possibly

22:09

win this fight it's it's it's impossible

22:13

to deny her right and there was also a

22:15

moment where Armen it looked like he was

22:17

punching somebody in the crowd during

22:19

his walk out yeah you might not want to

22:21

hang over the uh things and grab people

22:23

when they're walking out these guys are

22:25

all [ __ ] piped up and and whatever

22:27

and I'm sure sure we're probably going

22:29

to get sued I'm uh we'll deal with that

22:31

on Monday too thank you all right Dana

22:33

right over here hi Dana in the back yep

22:36

wherever you are I see yeah there you go

22:38

uh jir proska with a big pop from the

22:40

crowd and got back in the wind column

22:42

obviously he's still highly ranked can

22:44

talk a little bit about what your plans

22:46

may be for him going forward I have no

22:48

clue he he you know you know what I feel

22:50

bad for those two that was a fight of

22:52

the night until the BMF fight happened

22:54

uh that was another that let's talk

22:57

about that fight thank you sir these

22:59

poor kids they went out there and

23:01

[ __ ] went to war man I I mean uh

23:04

racket looked incredible he was picking

23:06

them apart prosa comes back and wins the

23:08

fight you know place is going crazy

23:10

unbelievable fight that was fight of the

23:13

night until the insanity happened you

23:15

know for the BMF so um yes that both

23:18

those guys looked incredible they both

23:20

came out and laid it all out and uh I'm

23:24

happy for uh prasa he he he uh he's an

23:27

absolute set Plus

23:29

talk about leg kicks I mean his leg was

23:31

done he was done and uh he pulls out the

23:35

win in that fight real quick on Jong way

23:37

Lee obviously she's been on a rooll for

23:39

quite a while now we know there was a

23:41

China event that got rescheduled is

23:43

there a possibility we could bring her

23:45

back to China for an event or do you see

23:47

her maybe in the US still I have no idea

23:49

we're working on a bunch of other uh

23:52

places that we're going to go this year

23:54

I don't know if China is on the schedule

23:56

yet or not we're still kind of mapping

23:58

out the end of the year thank you now

24:01

that uh Connor and Chandler's official

24:03

was there any talk about showing like a

24:04

graphic or video in front of the arena

24:06

in in the with the fans or is that was

24:08

that two last minute yeah no that's all

24:10

internet [ __ ] internet [ __ ] and

24:14

uh obviously Alain sterley made his

24:16

featherweight debut today against Calvin

24:17

ker while the fans didn't find it the

24:19

most aesthetic pleasing I want to just

24:20

get your thoughts on his debut at 145

24:23

lbs anytime you move up weight and you

24:25

win especially against a tough guy like

24:27

Calvin and I thought that uh here's what

24:30

I will say about aljo I thought that uh

24:32

he made Calvin look slow you

24:34

know not not a fan favorite on UFC 300

24:38

but uh moving up and wait and taking on

24:40

a tough gritty guy like Calvin is is is

24:43

always a good win and speaking of fan

24:45

favorites on UFC 300 I know you've been

24:46

a part of many great fights and moments

24:49

where do you rank those final 10 seconds

24:50

between Max H and Justin gat you mons

24:52

the moments you've seen in person the

24:53

whole fight let alone the 10 seconds but

24:55

the last 10 seconds is is the type of

24:59

Arturo Gotti [ __ ] that I always talk

25:01

about that that fight fans love there's

25:03

a reason that people love gaii and

25:05

Holloway the way that they do and that's

25:08

it right there when you're a fight

25:10

fan that that's like a dream two guys

25:13

like that two guys like that squaring

25:15

off and and facing each other broken

25:17

nose [ __ ] eye pokes uh legs all

25:20

busted up guys way out in head there's

25:23

no denying who's you know you sit there

25:25

and go hallay won this fight he says

25:27

let's do it let's go right in the middle

25:29

and they both do it you you you'll see a

25:31

lot of guys that'll go oh we're going to

25:33

go right in the middle we're going to do

25:34

this and then the fight starts

25:36

and maybe not right and there's a lot of

25:38

guys that try to do the come on let's go

25:40

do this when you have two Savages like

25:42

those two that go out and just do it

25:44

it's just you you you you you couldn't

25:47

script that if you saw it in the movie

25:49

you'd call [ __ ] on it last one for

25:51

me I see you wearing the UFC Pi Mexico

25:52

shirt they just announced the UFC

25:54

Academy over there with 19 athletes from

25:56

Mexico and Latin America representing so

25:58

how big is that for the next step of

25:59

continued growth in MMA out there in

26:02

Mexico and Latin America yeah it it went

26:04

really well down there the combine that

26:05

they did and basically the team that

26:07

worked down there in the combine came

26:09

back and told me holy [ __ ] wa wait till

26:12

you see what's going to happen down here

26:13

in the next couple years which I already

26:15

knew um yeah it's incredible I'm I'm

26:18

really looking forward to the future

26:20

with uh with with Mexico yeah know you

26:22

talk a little bit about that last 10

26:24

seconds with uh Justin and Max we saw a

26:26

little bit of that with Jim Miller and

26:27

Bobby green and Jim Miller obviously

26:29

didn't get it done tonight but this

26:31

historic streak of 100 200 300 um how

26:34

impressive is like his longevity and

26:36

what he did T yeah great Point great

26:38

point and and again two more Warriors

26:40

that went out tonight and just went for

26:43

it um and and yeah he he was

26:47

on a bad receiving end of that of that

26:50

that Bobby green fight I just saw a

26:52

picture of him in the in the hospital

26:54

right now his face is not good yeah

26:57

there's going to be some people that are

26:59

sore over the next couple of weeks man

27:01

it everybody everybody showed up tonight

27:05

Y and um I talked to Islam makach a few

27:07

weeks ago and he was very adamant he

27:09

just wanted to fight June 1st he didn't

27:10

care who did you have the porier fight

27:12

done coming into tonight or was there a

27:14

possibility if you know one of these

27:16

lightweight fights went smooth and those

27:17

guys wanted to turn around were they in

27:19

the running there were a couple other

27:20

options yeah we were looking at other

27:21

people too okay and I appreciate you

27:24

dropping pfl Ator I actually coined that

27:26

one so yeah yeah thank you to your right

27:29

the pacing of uh all the way over to you

27:32

hi hey there the pacing of the show was

27:34

a little bit different tonight and I

27:36

suspect it's because you had an enormous

27:38

level of advertisers that were being

27:41

crammed into the broadcast can you

27:42

compare maybe 200 to where you are now

27:46

and how different it is how did you how

27:48

did you feel the pacing was different

27:49

than regular it it felt a little bit

27:51

slower really felt a little bit slower

27:53

both in the I had them have you ever

27:54

been to a boxing event ma'am listen

27:57

listen

27:59

there's [ __ ] 45 minutes to an hour

28:01

between fights the walking is an hour

28:03

and 15 minutes uh the list goes on and

28:05

on I I thought that the pace of the show

28:07

tonight was um was just like any other

28:11

night um obviously we have advertisings

28:14

and commitments that we have but we keep

28:16

it pretty pretty fast pace when we do

28:18

fights but in retrospect how do you feel

28:21

about the difference between let's say

28:22

200 and 300 and how much easier it is to

28:26

be in the marketplace as as UFC as a

28:29

Combat Sports operation and having those

28:32

kind of Partnerships I mean it hasn't

28:34

been that long ago where you couldn't

28:35

even go to New York City no you're right

28:38

and and it took uh you know when I was

28:40

talking about power slap power slap has

28:42

been around for 14 months they have more

28:45

uh sponsors than UFC did in seven years

28:49

so obviously you know the early days of

28:52

um of of building this company in the

28:55

sport are are a lot different than today

28:58

I mean uh and that's one of the one of

29:01

the

29:02

biggest pieces of growth for the company

29:07

has been sponsorship it's massive and

29:09

continues to grow uh just one more for

29:12

me so we're talking about uh having UFC

29:16

in the sphere for Mexican Independence

29:17

Day weekend recently matrium has floated

29:21

the idea of perhaps bringing Katie

29:23

Taylor and Amanda Serano as their

29:25

rematch into the sphere uh maybe as

29:27

early is June how do you feel about that

29:30

and I know that it's been a big deal to

29:32

be the first Combat Sports operation to

29:34

go into the sphere I love Eddie Hearn I

29:37

consider him a friend ain't happening

29:40

sorry Eddie love you buddy you can go in

29:43

this spere in

29:44

October Dana down here right you said uh

29:48

earli this week that you think that in

29:50

the future eventually you would be able

29:52

to top this event because you have a

29:53

history of topping your biggest events

29:55

do you think after seeing tonight that

29:57

that's going to be possible that's a

29:59

great question brother and here we are

30:01

again I say this all the time how do we

30:03

beat 300 I don't know I don't know the

30:07

answer to that question but we're going

30:09

to find out you were very generous with

30:11

the news of uh 301 302 and 303 um any

30:16

update on 304 which is potentially

30:18

rumored for the

30:19

UK which is the the UK fight yes yeah we

30:22

we have nothing done yet but I I pretty

30:24

much said already we're going to

30:26

Manchester we don't have a deal done we

30:28

don't have anything done yet but we're

30:30

going to Manchester and let me just

30:32

remind you all what it's like to be in

30:34

Manchester one one of the greatest

30:36

events that I've ever been to was when

30:38

we first went into Manchester that that

30:39

place is awesome the the the fans the

30:42

crowd you know I'm looking very forward

30:45

to that you you you mentioned obviously

30:47

that time it was 20:04 I believe but

30:49

that was at 3:00 in the morning will it

30:51

be at a normal time in the UK we don't

30:53

have a deal done yet I I don't know

30:54

anything yet all right thank you thank

30:56

you Dana uh currently uh whe and Yan's

31:00

fight uh attract over 30 billion views

31:03

social media back in China uh from from

31:05

you perspective 30 30 billion 30 billion

31:09

views among social media so from your

31:12

perspective how big is the fight you

31:13

know uh impact to the Asian marketing

31:16

for you great question sir where are you

31:17

from from China I figured that but where

31:20

are you from oh I from Mig China Mig

31:23

okay got it so nobody knows better than

31:27

you how hard it is to Trend number one

31:30

in in in China right we've been number

31:32

one for 2 days trending in China exactly

31:35

which is unbelievable and yes this was a

31:37

massive sporting event in China this is

31:39

like the first time we've done well in

31:41

China this is the first time we've

31:43

really broken through uh in China and

31:46

and and like I didn't know the 30

31:47

billion uh so thank you yeah it's it's

31:50

been incredible no problem sir yeah uh

31:52

just follow up at the question second

31:54

you know uh probably not this year but

31:57

how soon you want to bring the UFC back

31:58

to China after you know yeah somebody

32:01

asked me that earlier I don't know

32:03

exactly when we're heading back there

32:05

but a night like tonight doesn't hurt

32:08

and uh yeah it's all it's all good I'm

32:12

excited thank you D appreciate thank you

32:13

sir one more last one right here um I

32:16

want to ask you about the in um in

32:19

entertainment environment with the uh

32:21

bracelets and everything everyone on

32:22

their wrist and everything like that

32:23

with lights going along with the show

32:25

the atmosphere and stuff like that what

32:27

did you you make of it I made

32:31

it what's the question what did I make

32:34

of it I made it in terms that's what we

32:36

do your your expectation versus the

32:39

reality of it it was awesome so you know

32:41

what I did during one of the fights I uh

32:44

you know people always ask this question

32:46

I watch the monitor I watch very little

32:48

of the actual live I look up every once

32:50

in a while and I'm on my phone the whole

32:52

[ __ ] time people think I'm like like

32:54

I don't give a [ __ ] about the fights all

32:56

I care about is the production the live

32:57

production

32:58

in-house um and the television

33:01

production so tonight I left during one

33:04

of the fights and came back to my green

33:06

room and watched we have a big screen

33:08

back there and I watched it on TV and

33:11

with the lights and all it was it was

33:12

incredible it it looked incredible on TV

33:15

um just like I always say about power

33:17

slap and obviously UFC the production is

33:20

incredibly important to me it's it's

33:22

it's it's

33:24

uh the only things that I really focus

33:26

on on a daily basis is finding young

33:29

upand cominging Talent making sure we

33:31

put on the right fights in the right

33:32

place at the right time and

33:36

inhouse uh live television production

33:38

and I mean in-house production and and

33:41

and live television production F that's

33:43

what I focus on literally every day in

33:45

the office um and other little [ __ ]

33:48

here and there but that's my main focus

33:50

so when when we have an event like

33:53

tonight and you look at young Talent

33:56

that's on the card tonight how they

33:58

performed um how the thing looked

34:01

in-house and how it felt the energy in

34:03

the buzz and how it looked on television

34:05

right and then you look at the fights

34:07

that delivered tonight you couldn't have

34:09

a bigger [ __ ] home run than tonight

34:12

so and I hope I answered your question

34:14

you did and a quick followup about drus

34:17

um he was seen in the crowd and

34:18

everything like that do you have any

34:19

plans on where you're going to have him

34:20

who he's going to fight if it's going to

34:22

be Izzy or the winner of Whitaker

34:23

chamaya anything like that we're working

34:25

on it thank you thank you thanks

34:27

everybody have a great night