Veteran ESPN commentator Dan Le Batard may have talked himself into a very awkward situation after publicly challenging UFC president Dana White to a fight last month, only to have White accept and pledge a whopping $250,000 to make the bout happen.
In the buildup to UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Burnsis , Le Batard interviewed White on his show, and the two very quickly got into a contentious debate about the business of the UFC. Le Batard contented that UFC fighters don’t make enough money, while White retorted that Le Batard was “very uneducated” on the subject.
At the end of the interview, Stugotz jokingly asked when the Dana vs. Dan fight would happen – and Le Batard, now 51, challenged White, 50, to a charity bout.
Dan Le Batard: “I would like to fight you though. How do you think that would end up going, you and me? Can we do that for charity? Can we raise a bunch of money for charity?”
Dana White: “Absolutely. It ends very badly for you. Very badly, that I promise.
….
Dan Le Batard: “What I’m telling you is I’m going to get in shape. Let’s raise some money for charity. Give me a straight answer. Are you and I going to fight for an enormous amount of money?”
Dana White: “Hell yes!”
White, though, seems to be taking the challenge seriously. Earlier this week on ESPN, White said he’d put up $250,000 for charity, putting the pressure on Le Batard to accept.
You're on the clock, @LeBatardShow.@danawhite told @michaeleaves he'd pledge $250k for a charity fight against ESPN's Dan Le Batard 😬 pic.twitter.com/nXksP3it0X
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 6, 2020
Le Batard tweeted he’ll propose a counter-offer next week.
Counter offer on radio next week. He can’t bully the negotiations with his BS low first offer. I’m not one of the many fighters he likes to underpay.
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) June 7, 2020
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