Dana White – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Dana White: Michael Chandler has home in UFC ‘until he decides to retire’

UFC CEO Dana White had only positive comments about Michael Chandler after his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t care about [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]’s record inside the octagon, because the entertainment factor is always there.

Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) returned from a two-year layoff on Saturday and suffered a unanimous decision loss in his rematch with Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) at UFC 309, which took place at Madison Square Garden. The lightweight contest was awarded Fight of the Night honors, but as a result the former Bellator champ saw his promotional record drop further below .500.

For Chandler, 38, the result hurts his push to challenge for the 155-pound title. But for White, the performance only further solidified what he already knew – that Chandler is a UFC lifer.

“He’s like an Arturo Gatti,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 309. “He’s one of those – win, lose or draw, you’re never bummed out at the end of a Michael Chandler fight. … He’s always exciting, he’s always fun. The last round of that fight, he kept getting taken down. He got on his back. So when he got on his back at the end, he just stood up and started slamming him.

“The kid always tries to win. He always comes to fight and Michael Chandler’s always going to have a home here. Until he decides to retire, Michael Chandler isn’t going anywhere.”

Chandler’s layoff from competition was the product of waiting for a fight against Conor McGregor that never materialized. White said McGregor is expected to make his own return to the cage in 2025, but it’s too soon to consider putting that fight back together.

“Will he fight Conor? I don’t know,” White said.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White: Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall will ‘probably be the biggest fight we’ve ever done’

Jon Jones may claim Tom Aspinall lacks notoriety, but UFC CEO Dana White clearly thinks otherwise.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] may claim [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] lacks notoriety, but UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] clearly thinks otherwise.

After Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) dispatched of Stipe Miocic (20-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) by third-round TKO on Saturday at UFC 309 to defend the heavyweight championship, White has a strong craving to see a unification bout with interim titleholder Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who has been campaigning hard to get a fight with “Bones.”

Unfortunately for Aspinall, though, Jones thinks he’s “an asshole” who is “annoying.” Jones said both before and after UFC 309 that he has no interest in fighting Aspinall and would rather vacate the belt than give the Brit an opportunity to compete against him.

The only thing that would open the door in Jones’ mind is if the UFC offered him “f*ck you money,” but did not share a specific number. White said Jones will be properly compensated, and displayed only confidence a deal will get done. And if it does, White thinks it will be an all-time event.

“It would be the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history, by a long shot,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “It’s going to be the biggest heavyweight fight ever. And it’ll probably be the biggest fight we’ve ever done.”

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By which metric White defines for the “biggest fight” is unclear. He could be referring to live gate, pay-per-view sales, general global interest or another variable, but the assurance behind his comments was encouraging to those pining to see the fight.

Offshore opening odds for a potential Jones vs. Aspinall fight have Jones as a slight betting underdog. If that held, it would be the first time Jones would be an underdog in a fight since early 2009. He was an underdog in his first two UFC fights against Andre Gusmao and Stephan Bonnar, but never has been less than roughly at least a 2-1 favorite in every fight since then.

White said he loves Jones being pitted in a position of doubt. White has been Jones’ sternest supporter in recent years, touting him as the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter and best combat sports athlete in history.

The UFC boss was impressed with what he saw from Jones against Miocic, and White is highly intrigued about how Jones would approach a fight with Aspinall.

“He’s got the highest fight IQ – he’s like f*cking Elon Musk in the octagon,” White said. “This guy is brilliant in there, and the things he pulls off (are amazing). … I don’t know what he’ll do with Aspinall.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White reacts to Jon Jones’ vicious TKO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309

UFC CEO Dana White shares his thoughts on Jon Jones’ heavyweight title defense at Saturday’s UFC 309.

NEW YORK – After months of claiming [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] finally feels his point was proven.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defended his UFC heavyweight title against former champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC 309 in Madison Square Garden. It was a dominant showing that ended with Jones landing a spinning back kick to the body to put away Miocic in the third round of their contest.

With the win, Jones not only defended his heavyweight belt and cemented himself as arguably the greatest fighter in the sport’s history but also proved that he’s the best fighter today – at least according to White.

“This guy’s fight IQ is off the charts,” White told reporters at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “Everybody going to admit now he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?

“And let me tell you, this thing had upset written all over it, too. All the talk about Jon Jones, Stipe seemed pissed, focused, and he came here to win. He looked good, he was physically in great shape, and the list goes on. Jon picked him apart. … He looked incredible. I just don’t know how any of you guys don’t see how he’s the greatest fighter in the history of f*cking people fighting.”

As far as what’s next, Jones didn’t lean towards any direction in terms of opponent, but he definitely didn’t retire and mentioned he’d like to re-negotiate his contract with the UFC brass.

White, who believes Jones vs. Tom Aspinall would be the greatest heavyweight fight in MMA history, is not worried about the potential negotiation with Jones, and is confident he can get a title unification done.

“I got Tom waiting outside for me right now,” White said. “You let Jon do Jon. Jon is going to disappear. Not only won’t you hear about him, and neither will I, but then he’ll resurface, he’ll call, and we’ll get it done.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White heaps praise on Khamzat Chimaev, wants to see UFC title fight in U.S.

Dana White hopes Khamzat Chimaev can make his U.S. return in 2025.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] can make his U.S. return in 2025.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) positioned himself in title contention when he ran through former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October.

The UFC CEO was very impressed with Chimaev’s return, and anticipates him fighting for the middleweight title next year – preferably in the U.S.

“He looked incredible,” White said of Chimaev on “The Jim Rome Show.” “His manager was telling me before the fight that mentally, physically and emotionally he’s the best he’s ever been. He said, ‘I’m telling you, wait until you see him on Saturday,’ and he was right. He was dead on.

“This guy’s never looked better, especially against the competition that he had. I’m looking forward to him getting a title fight in ’25. We’ll see how this plays out here, but I want him to fight in the United States. I want him to fight for a title here in the U.S.”

Chimaev hasn’t competed in the U.S. since submitting Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in Las Vegas. Chimaev’s quick finish of Whittaker got the attention of UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who said he’d rather defend his title against the unbeaten sensation over a rematch with Sean Strickland.

The promotion is yet to announce Du Plessis’ next title fight, but his head coach Morne Visser said the plan is to compete at UFC 312 Feb. 8 in Sydney.

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Dana White (again) predicts Conor McGregor’s UFC return, but: ‘Money messes everything up’

It appears Conor McGregor’s return will be pushed back even longer than expected.

It appears [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s return will be pushed back even longer than expected.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was expected to make his highly anticipated comeback against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 in June, but a broken pinky toe forced him out of the bout.

Chandler, who had already exercised plenty of patience waiting for McGregor after they filmed Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” finally decided to move on. He rematches Charles Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Chandler may have moved on, but he still has McGregor in his sights. [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t rule out the possibility of a McGregor vs. Chandler rebooking, but not anytime soon.

“That’s a fun fight,” White said on “The Jim Rome Show.”. “I think Conor and Chandler both like that fight. When Conor comes back, which I see being sometime the later part of next year, we’ll see where everybody’s at and what’s going on and we’ll figure out who faces Conor. That’s why everybody was so excited about it. Chandler and Conor McGregor is a fun fight.”

With McGregor’s return continuing to be delayed, many question if he’ll ever fight again. Based on his conversations with McGregor, The UFC CEO confirms that “The Notorious” still has the desire to compete – even though it’s been over three years.

“It’s a fact that he does (want to fight next year),” White said. “He and I probably talk four or five times a month. He definitely wants to come back. We’ll just see. Every time I’m on here I tell you: Money – money messes everything up. So we’ll see.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White offers Jon Jones a compromise for desired Alex Pereira fight

UFC CEO Dana White has changed his tune on booking Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira – kind of.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] has changed his tune on booking [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] – kind of.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has claimed prior to Saturday’s heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at UFC 309 that, if he successful, he will not unify belts with interim champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]. Instead he wants reigning light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira, who he said is the only matchup that would keep him from retirement.

White already has voiced his dismay for those comments, saying he will not make the Jones vs. Pereira fight next and “Bones” has the option to either retire or unify with Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). He stands behind that, but thinks there is a compromise that could be made to satisfy everyone involved.

“Obviously a guy like Jon Jones has had a career where, if he wants something we would do it,” White said on The Pat McAfee Show. “But you can’t just do a fun fight and not fight the interim heavyweight champion, the guy who is next – because if Jon Jones retired on Saturday, Tom Aspinall would be the heavyweight champion.

“Opportunities were given to Jon Jones. He was 23, he was the youngest champion of all time. Now, as he sits where he sits, it’s his obligation to give it to the younger guy to give him that opportunity. If he beats Tom Aspinall, then yes, I would do the Alex Pereira fight.”

It remains to be seen if Jones will be open to taking on Aspinall. He said at UFC 309 that the Brit was “an asshole” and he doesn’t want to do business with him.

UFC 309 takes place at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White explains decision to bring back old gloves before UFC 309

Jon Jones says ditching new gloves that debuted earlier this year was not his request. So why did Dana White scrap them now?

NEW YORK – Ahead of UFC 309, fighters have been notified of a major change.

For Saturday’s event, which takes place at Madison Square Garden, fighters were notified that the old-style gloves will be used rather than the new-style ones that were implemented June 1.

The new glove design was introduced to attempt preventing eye pokes and broken hands. However, since the implementation of the new gloves, the knockout rate has dropped to 22.9 percent, and the decision rate has increased 11.5 percent.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] explained why the promotion decided to bring the old gloves back.

“There were a lot of complaints,” White said during Thursday’s UFC 309 press conference. “We originally created these gloves to stop eye pokes and we had good intentions with them. They didn’t work out. People weren’t happy with them.

“So I actually made the decision. I called our chief operating officer, Lawrence (Epstein), and said, ‘I’m switching the gloves. I want the old gloves back.’ …Yes, the new gloves are now the old gloves.”

UFC 309 headliner, heavyweight champion Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), expressed his frustration with the new gloves ahead of his first title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC). However, Jones insists that the change in gloves was not something he asked for.

“This was not my request,” Jones said during a UFC 309 media scrum (h/t Carlos Contreras Legaspi). “This was brand new news to me just a few days ago. I’m glad that he hit me with it because it was relieving.”

UFC 309 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Will Donald Trump be at UFC 309? Dana White won’t say for sure

It’s become a sort of tradition for Donald Trump to attend the biggest of UFC events, but will that be the case for UFC 309?

(This story was updated to add new information.)

It’s become a sort of tradition for Donald Trump to attend the biggest of UFC events. Will that be the case for UFC 309?

Combat sports events don’t get much bigger than when they take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as is the case with UFC 309 headlined by a highly anticipated heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

President-elect Trump, just more than a week removed from his big win over Vice President Kamala Harris, has a lot on his plate as he continues to make key hires for his second administration before he takes office Jan. 20. But it’s not out of the question that he could make time to attend UFC 309, where good friend and UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is certain to roll out the figurative red carpet for him. Every time Trump has attended a UFC event, he’s been met with cheers by an MMA fan base that overwhelmingly adores him.

So, will that happen again on Saturday night?

Dana White mum on Donald Trump attending UFC 309

As of Friday afternoon, nothing was concrete and nothing reported about Trump attending UFC 309, although there’s been lots of chatter. After the UFC 309 press conference, White was asked about Trump being in attendance, but the UFC boss wouldn’t say for sure.

“He always gets a good reception wherever we are,” White told a group of reporters. “And, yeah, he’s a fan. He could pop up this weekend. You never know.”

Donald Trump told two UFC 309 fighters he’d be there

A pair of fighters on the card – [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] and [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] – revealed that Trump previously told them he expected to be cageside at MSG.

“He said, ‘I’ll either be there on Nov. 16 because we won the election, or if I lost, I’ll be depressed, and I won’t show up,'” Chandler recently told TMZ. “Obviously he won the election, so it sounds like he’s going to be there.”

Nickal echoed a similar message during an appearance this week on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”

“I think he’s gonna be there,” Nickal said. “He told me a couple of times that he’s gonna be there. He’s the President. … I’m sure that if he’s not (at UFC 309), there was something else that was more important.”

Donald Trump at UFC events

Since his career in politics began with his winning the presidential election in 2016, Trump has tapped into support from the MMA fan base through White and the UFC. The relationship is so close knit that White spoke on Trump’s behalf at the 2016, 2020 (virtually) and 2024 Republican National Conventions. White was at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate with Trump on election night last week.

Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a UFC event when he was cageside for UFC 244 in November 2019 at Madison Square Garden, headlined by Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz for the BMF title. Less than two years later, Trump attended UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which was headlined by the trilogy between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

With the 2024 election drawing near, Trump ramped up his attendance of UFC events as he returned at UFC 287 in April 2023 held in Miami. Trump followed that up with a second 2023 appearance in November at UFC 295 in New York. Trump most recently attended UFC 299 this past March in Miami.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Photos: UFC 309 pre-fight press conference from New York

Check out these photos from the UFC 309 press conference in New York City.

Check out these photos from the UFC 309 pre-fight press conference in New York, which featured [autotag]Dana White[/autotag], [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag], and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]. (Photos by Per Haljestam for MMA Junkie)