Whatever you think of Dana White and his ownership of one of the most controversial approaches to the coronavirus crisis, you have to give him this: He didn’t go down without a fight.
Right until he was plumb out of options, White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, battled to keep his show of brutally compelling athleticism on the road. As one obstacle after another presented themselves in the way of the upcoming swing of UFC events, White sought to swat them aside.
Whether his intention was fiscal gain, an increased market share of the sports pie for his mixed martial arts organization, or the altruistic leaning of trying to give action-starved fans something to get distracted by, White fought the good fight.
congrats to all my staff and fighters!!! Amazing job everyone!!! pic.twitter.com/YWnJiRMjKX
— Dana White (@danawhite) March 15, 2020
Some derided him as narrow-minded in these fraught times for refusing to follow the lead of so many other sporting leagues and franchises. While others, essentially all others, closed ranks to see out the COVID-19 storm, the UFC was trying to get things done.
“I talked to the president and the vice president of the United States today about this,” White said on ESPN, last Saturday. “They’re taking this very serious. They’re saying be cautious, be careful, but live your life and stop panicking. Everybody is panicking and instead of panicking we’re actually getting out there and working with doctors and health officials and the government to figure out how we can keep the sport safe and how we can continue to put on events.”
White and his event planners and matchmakers were moving pieces like a frenzied game of checkers. They scrambled to keep UFC Fight Night 170 alive in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, and managed to do so, staging it without fans.
JUST THAT QUICKLY! 👀
🇧🇷 Oliveira ends the night from #UFCBrasilia. pic.twitter.com/m8uJShU4kc
— UFC (@ufc) March 15, 2020
They hustled to try to relocate the following three events, set for London, Columbus and Portland, by moving them to Las Vegas, before a Nevada State Athletic Commission edict ruled out sanctioning fight cards in its jurisdiction.
On Monday, White eventually admitted defeat, stating that the three events would be cancelled.
So that’s it, right? Nothing more to see. No more mainstream sports to speak of until this thing washes through?
Well, not so fast. Despite that trio of cancellations, White and the UFC stopped short of extending the shutdown to UFC 249 on Apr. 18, its next major pay-per-view event. Before the chaos of the past week, it was a much-anticipated card, highlighted by the headlining contest between standout lightweights Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.
thanks for the support @steveaustinBSR https://t.co/JJBfNXoYzS
— Dana White (@danawhite) March 15, 2020
White is still seeking an alternative venue, while conceding that it almost certainly would be outside of the United States. And here is where things get really strange.
Nurmagomedov is one of, if not the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. After demolishing Conor McGregor, then serving a suspension for the fracas that followed, he submitted Dustin Poirier in September to take his mixed martial arts record to 28-0. Ferguson, on a 12-fight winning streak that dates back eight years, is seen as the best hope of anyone to beat him, having looked impenetrably strong in recent contests.
If it sounds like the kind of fight that should have been made years ago, well, you’re right. That it hasn’t taken place is not for any lack of effort, but more an extraordinary catalog of misfortune.
The initial bout was set for 2015, but Nurmagomedov suffered a broken rib in training. A year later, Ferguson contracted fluid in his lung before the rescheduled fight. In 2017, the Russian had to pull out after weight cutting issues, before the strangest mishap of all, Ferguson tripping on a cord during media obligations before the fourth attempt in 2018, tearing a knee ligament.
🏆🕶 #UFC249 pic.twitter.com/xD8Z67P1G6
— UFC (@ufc) March 18, 2020
If the clash somehow does take place, now – of all times — despite the incredible current obstacles standing in its way, it would be a wild ending to the saga.
Not to doubt White’s ability to put on a show and to surmount difficulties, but he faces an extreme task. COVID-19 quickly morphed into the world’s problem, and White will be hard pressed to find anywhere on the globe that is well positioned to host such an event even without fans in attendance.
If it does go ahead, given Nurmagomedov’s cache, the elite nature of the fight and the sports-starved international landscape, the pay-per-view viewership would be through the roof.
This is not a time for sweeping opinions, so I’ll go light with my thoughts on White’s determination to keep UFC cards going.
With everything else having been so comprehensively shuttered – the NBA’s decision to close its doors now looks even more timely after four Brooklyn Nets tested positive – seeing White refuse to cave does, in truth, feel strange.
Yet from a selfish perspective, the chance to watch something as enticing as Nurmagomedov-Ferguson would be a massive lift, and I’d be pulling out the credit card with even greater speed than when my local market brought out a new shelf load of pasta yesterday.
These are complicated times. Sports will be back with us at some point, and we will be readier for it than ever. Until then, uncertainty reigns. One thing you can count on, though. If Dana White has his way, you’ll have something to watch sooner than later.
