Dana White vs Anderson Silva: Should friends fight friends in the UFC?

This isn't the first time this debate has come up nor will it be the last.

That's because there's such a wide divide between fighter and employer, martial artist and promoter. UFC President Dana White has made it clear throughout his years at the helm of the world's largest fight promotion that friends should be fighting friends.

This is a sport, after all, and fond feelings for each other shouldn't get in the way of that.

He's met with many detractors in this, the latest being the man he considers the pound-for-pound greatest fighter who ever lived, Anderson Silva. "The Spider" talked to SporTV recently and came hard at his boss.

Here's what he had to say (translation via Bloody Elbow):

"(Dana saying that teammates should fight each other), It's funny to say that, right? If that was the case, I would like to ask him if he'd like to split the UFC with Lorenzo, each would have their own show fighting for audience and sponsorship and everything else that involves their business. They're friends, partners... What I think is that friends shouldn't fight. Dana doesn't fight. He sells well the fight, he's a good promoter, but he isn't a fighter. I have nothing against Dana, I admire him, but he doesn't know what this is, and he can't say that two friends should fight. We spend more time together than with our own families. We share the pains, the frustrations, and just because he wants to sell a fight that he thinks it would be cool and that the public would like to see two companions fighting. He wants to match a fight with two friends? That's impossible, it only happens with people who aren't real friends. We have a philosophy in our team that, regardless of two being from the same weight class and the same objective of being UFC Champions, we know that this won't happen. MMA is not a collective sport. It's not normal for me to fight a guy that I live with everyday. It's natural to him, because he doesn't fight and hasn't even got pinched once."

Cue Cody McKenzie run up .gif cause shit just got real.

Indeed, it's hard not to sympathize with Silva, at least a little bit. I have three brothers and while they drive me completely nuts at times, I would hate the idea of climbing inside a cage with them and physically hurting them.

Never one to give up the last word, White came quick with a rebuttal:

"This isn't baseball or football. They aren't a team. They train together, go out together, but they aren't a team that plays together. I'd like for Anderson to tell me if I'm wrong: he has the belt, the fame, the money, and it is because of that, that there are many guys who'd like to be Anderson Silva, especially those inside his gym and are friends of his. Many friends of his would love to have that belt and they should fight for it. If they have to fight, it doesn't mean that they don't like each other, that they can't be friends. It's business, it's what they do for a living. If this was something I and Lorenzo would have to fight, we would. If Lorenzo has the title and I'd have to fight him, it's what would happen. It's not personal, it's only to see who's best. Imagine two famous teams in Brazil, such as Flamengo and Corinthians. Imagine if they would refuse to play against each other because they're friends, because they like each other. "We don't want to play you, we'd hurt your feelings." Oh Anderson, come on... Vitor used to train with him. Did you see what he did to his friend? I guarantee you that the guys that are his friends want to be like him. Your friends want your belt, and they won't pay your bills when you're done fighting, Anderson."

Says the guy who has "never even got pinched once."

What do you think, Maniacs? Would you fight your friends? And who has the better argument here? Are you Team Dana or Team Silva?