Buyer's remorse: UFC not for sale says Dana White

by Jesse Holland on Oct 20, 2009 11:14 AM EDT

Quoteworthy:

"This is [expletive] bad; it’s not what I said. Here’s the bottom line: Basically, it was a longer story and he kept asking if we would sell this thing or not. I kept saying ‘No. No, we won’t sell it,’ and I’d go through this whole [expletive] thing about how we’re all 40 years old and we’re young and we’re the visionaries for this thing. We know where we’re taking this thing. We know where it’s going. We have no interest in selling it. And going public? We don’t need the [expletive] money. You go public when you want to raise cash. You raise capital to do something bigger. We don’t want to do that. We’re not looking to do that. He kept [expletive] pushing and pushing. He said, ‘OK, hypothetically speaking, would you ever sell a piece of it?’ I said, ‘I guess we’d sell a tiny little piece. We’d probably sell a tiny little piece.’ But, here’s the thing: I want it to be known that this guy kept pushing me and pushing me. I said ‘No, we wouldn’t go public. No, we wouldn’t sell it.’ At the end of the day, we’re the guys who are driving this thing. We have the vision. We know where we want to take this thing. We’re not interested in selling a piece of this to anybody. Me, Frank and Lorenzo are the three owners. We have an awesome relationship. Everything runs smoothly. It’s perfect. And for us to even offer somebody a piece, it would be the biggest compliment in [expletive] history because they’d have to be a serious strategic partner. It’s the only [expletive] way we’d do it."

UFC President Dana White clarifies statements from a recent Bloomberg video interview that quotes him as saying a piece of the UFC could be purchased for the right price. Unfortunately White now assures any would-be investors that his answer was basically given to satisfy a pushy reporter and that any and all Octagon control would remain in the hands of himself and the Fertitta brothers. Sorry Vadim, put your checkbook away.

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Arlovski goes to Team jackson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_0mnFNcuiE&feature=sub

by Insain on Oct 20, 2009 11:23 AM EDT reply actions

Anyone know/hear what AA is doin next? Been pretty quiet since Brett knock him silly

And thanks for the Genghis Con video on Genko, John (at least I think twas John who told me bout it). Savage stuff. Watched it round 4 times now and keep going back for more

by IrishKev on Oct 20, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

anytime man….If oyou arent familiar with Genghis con, he is the BEST and has a million other mma highlight video’s. I would suggest checking out his highlights named: Grand theft title (there are 3 of them) a shogun HL, Rampage HL, and Anderson HL.

by john G on Oct 20, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

The Shogun GTA one is the best imo. It’s a fantastic site.

by RobH86 on Oct 20, 2009 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions

What’s the site again John?

by Syd on Oct 20, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions

so dana’s saying that somebody bullied him. price less

by bellio on Oct 20, 2009 11:24 AM EDT reply actions

I bet it was those Affliction boys…….WOOT!

by Dana's swollen junk on Oct 20, 2009 11:32 AM EDT reply actions

Sounds a lot more realistic than that interview yesterday. Why would anyone want to buy a small chunk anyway? You would have no say in anything, and you would have to listen to DW swearing like a rebellious 8 year old. Not the kind of work environment I would sign up for with my 10 million bucks.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 11:39 AM EDT reply actions

You would if that $10 million became $15 million in a few years. I guess I’ll just have to find something else to do with that $10 million that’s burning a hole in my pocket right now.

by PW on Oct 20, 2009 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions

If you would have put that 10 mil. in Apple last year it would be 20.5 right now. That is 100% profit in one year. Even in this economy there is better investments to make than Zuffa. A guy with 10 million like yourself PW should know these things.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions

hahaha!

by Cali Rick on Oct 20, 2009 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions

With our current government, I like to diversify my investments. I have some in my mattress, some in my freezer, some in the coffee pot . . .

by PW on Oct 20, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions

our current government wouldnt be in this position if it wasnt the policies and wreckless spending of our last government!

by jayke on Oct 20, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions

JAYKE don’t mention George Dubya to P Dubya. He is a texan and I recall him saying he likes him. Obama is liked here in Canada a lot more than George, but we like you anyway PW.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Obama has spent more tax money, yielding no positive results, in less than a year than Bush did in his 8 years in office, most of which were during war time.

by PW on Oct 20, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

HIS WAR!

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

No postive results? HAH
You should watch your words

by torresisawrrior on Oct 20, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

TY PW. God I hate Obama. You know we’re printing money to finance Obama’s ridiculous deficit, which is what’s causing the dollar to be so devalued. Can you sday Mugabe????

I dunno why I bother I bet about 1 person on this entire site has any idea what I’m talking about.

by frosnt on Oct 20, 2009 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions

All the democrats will get tossed in the mid-term elections, then we’ll have more gridlock. It won’t matter anyway, since none of them have the balls to do what actually needs to be done.

by PW on Oct 20, 2009 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, all of your problems are traceable back to Obama. The guy works quick, he had you guys in trouble before he even ran for office.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I believe it PW. You (Americans) only elected Obama to be your scapegoat.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I would’t be surprised if you even found a reason to impreach him once this recession has ended.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I could write an entire treatise on what’s wrong with our current political climate, from the federal level down. Here in Dallas several city council members were recently convicted by a jury of multiple counts of extortion and bribery. The mayor proposed several changes intended to make the political process more transparent and let the citizens know who was lobbying/soliciting favors from the council. The council rejected them all. Unfortunately, getting elected to any public office requires a narcissistic step-on-anyone-who-gets-in-my-way attitude, which is wholly unsuitable for actual governing.

by PW on Oct 20, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

dam canadians need to quit clubbing baby seals

by Fernando on Oct 20, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, because it is Canadians who do all the seal hunting right? What rock do you live under? Where are you from?

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

So its illegal to hunt baby seals in canada? No its legal and they love bucthering those baby seals.Dam even the russians stopped but canadians just can’t quit.

by Fernando on Oct 20, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions

seal hunting is the worlds largest problem or something? Way to choose an irrelevant topic and rant about it. What country are you from? I bet your country is doing something this very moment that is 1000 times worse.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions

haha I can tell this has turned into a fruitful conversation. THINK OF THE SEALS, Jay!!!

by frosnt on Oct 20, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

so your saying its cool to club those seals.

by Fernando on Oct 20, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Where did this even come from? What makes you assume I am Canadian?

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions

i would deny it too. maybe you could pretend to be american.

by Fernando on Oct 20, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Absolutely it is alright. Have you seen what a baby seal will do to a group of unsuspecting children when it sneaks up on them?? LOL. Just kidding, I hate the whole idea of killing anything, and baby seals are cute. Don’t blame me for something the East coasters have been doing forever. If it were up to me it would be stopped, but alas I am not in charge.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Fernando, when or where did I say I was Canadian? The last thing any Canadian should or would want to do is say they are American. In case you haven’t noticed Canada is one of the best Countries in the world to live in.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

canada is cool, espcially if you like to club baby seals than its the best place int he world to live.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals are slaughtered on the ice fields off Canada’s east coast for their pelts. Over 95% of the seals killed during this hunt are just days or weeks old.

In the past three years, nearly one million baby seals have been clubbed or shot to death. Shockingly, the hunt is subsidized by the Canadian government!

by Fernando on Oct 20, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Intro, just post under one name. How old are you?

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

You do know Canada is a vast Country, right? I have never seen a seal in my life. I couldn’t care less about the clubbing of the little bastards really.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Obama said that he plans to cut the National Deficit in half by the end of his first term. He said this when he first took office, and since then the deficit has trippled. If he can do what he says he is going to do, I may even vote for him next term, but he’s already gone back on a lot of his promises, so I doubt this will ever happen.

by LJ on Oct 20, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

To all Obama bashers, you could do a lot worse, we’ve got a fat blind clueless robot in charge of the UK and have 2 identical parties that we can elect.

by David W-S on Oct 20, 2009 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Canada isn’t a real country anyway.

by Syd on Oct 21, 2009 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions

so I guess M-1 will be part owner one day if Fedor keeps his winning streak alive. Offer them some bonds in exchange for non cross promotion.

by merk on Oct 20, 2009 1:40 PM EDT reply actions

Holy crap…Dana goes on a rant about how he’s not selling anything, then at the end of the rant he admits that he would sell a piece to a “serious strategic planner…it’s the only effin’ way we’d do it.”

Talk about talking in circles.

by introvert on Oct 20, 2009 1:43 PM EDT reply actions

He would just never say never. Ever heard of the expression? If he were to sell 20 bucks worth of the company in the future, people like you would say he is a liar. He is just keeping a door open.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

He is a liar.

by introvert on Oct 20, 2009 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Seems very clear to me. They don’t need to raise capital, so they’re not interested in a sale for cash reasons. But they might consider a small amount to a strategic partner (that’s PARTNER not planner BTW), that is a reduction of ownership for non-cash reasons with the caveat that it’s got to be some hell of a partner.

An example that I’m just making up might be Government of China allows UFC in China for 50.1% of UFC China, a partially owned subsidiary of Zuffa…

by pacalis on Oct 20, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

That a politician talking!

by nicky on Oct 20, 2009 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Who cares? It’s a nothing story from a joke of an interview. Zuffa aren’t going to sell any part of the UFC in the near future, so there’s no point bashing Dana over this non-story, it’s just looking for an excuse to bash him. Wait until he actually says or does something stupid before complaining about him.

by David W-S on Oct 20, 2009 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions

What I got out of it is that they’re not even remotely thinking about it. In the hypothetical scenario that douche asked him about then Dana says they’d have to be a really good strategist. Someone would have to impress the hell out of all three of them to even get offered a piece, but other than that they’re not even contemplating it.

by Cali Rick on Oct 20, 2009 2:31 PM EDT reply actions

He didn’t need to clarify anything. If someone went to them with a half a billion for 10%, of course they’d take it. Everything in business is always for sale for the right price.

by Brian on Oct 20, 2009 2:36 PM EDT reply actions

Holy crap you sheep. Stop being Danasexuals and watch the first interview again.

If he wants to come out now and say that he didn’t mean it that way, or that his words were misguided that’s one thing…but to come out with lame-ass “the interviewer made me do it” for an excuse is so effin’ lame it’s not even funny.

Every time he does something contraversial, he’s out two days later blaming someone else…every time!!!!

Bloody Danasexuals.

by introvert on Oct 20, 2009 5:28 PM EDT reply actions

So when TUF videos make Rampage look like a douche it is the editing that did it, but when a video about Dana comes out there was no editing or persuasion to make him say what they want him to say? People edit everything they shoot to get the story they want, why does this surprise you when you want it to surprise you Troll?

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Ooooh “troll” talk when you know I’m right, eh jay….that’s typical.

Go back and watch the original interview…you know the one…it’s the one with Dana saying he’d sell part of his company….that one.

Danasexual.

by introvert on Oct 20, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions

…BTW, Rampage is a douche…and so is Dana…and so are you Danasexuals.

by introvert on Oct 20, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I have no problems with Dana. He is a loud mouth and he isn’t polished in social etiquette, but so what? You get bent way out of shape over him for no reason. Everyone knows he is a douche, but he is the luckiest douche on the planet and you know it. Just get over Dana, he unfortunately isn’t going anywhere. I would love to have someone be the ‘face’ of UFC that knows how to get a point across without embarrassing MMA fans with his linguistic skills, but it didn’t work out that way. Nothing you do or say is going to change that, quit wasting your time on Dana White.

by jay on Oct 20, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions