Despite his tough-guy persona and tendency to be over-the-top at times with abrasive, to-the-point opinions, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White is a huge fan of his, as well as those who follow his leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, countless fans.
He will rarely, if ever, deny a fan a photo op, autograph or five minutes of his time to chat it up -- he always makes sure to make time to talk and mingle with his supporters. And with good reason, too. White doesn't want to be like the guy from Channel 13 news who acted like a "dick" to him at a Las Vegas, Nevada, library when he was just a little kid looking for an autograph.
White certainly doesn't want to act like pop sensation and Hollywood actor, Justin Timberlake, who he recently took to task, calling him the "biggest douchebag I have ever met in my life."
That's a bold statement, considering White has met more than his fair share of famous, and not so famous, folks throughout his 43-year existence on Earth. So what did Timberlake do that was so awful it would cause the head of the world's biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion to continue to publicly call him out?
White recently explained his issues with Timberlake (via Sports Illustrated):
"Recently me and my wife were at Nickelodeon Awards and we were backstage with the Black Eyed Peas in their dressing room hanging out. First of all, this thing is in L.A., so every guy on the planet wants to get their kids backstage with all the people that are back there. They had Bieber, Selena Gomez, all these people are back there. So my kids are back there and they're taking pictures with all these people and stuff. There [are] no other kids backstage. No other kids. Just my kids, and I think I have Lorenzo's daughter with me, too. This was a few years ago. You name it, A-list, all the A-listers that the kids would love are backstage. The biggest d---head back there was Justin Timberlake. Just such a complete jack off, yeah. Just couldn't have been a bigger d---. I don't know if he's a UFC fan or not, but I'm not a big Timberlake fan. Takes two seconds to say hi to a kid. Takes two seconds. I never run by anybody. If you're a fan of the UFC and you like it or your kids like it, why would I not want to talk to you? Why would I not?"
Bieber and Selena FTW!
While it's safe to assume Timberlake will unlikely lose any sleep over White's disapproval of his behavior toward adoring fans, in this case his children, it's not exactly breaking news that not every insanely in-demand celebrity is fan-friendly.
Still, you can't blame an outspoken and high-profile parent for highlighting an issue that cuts him deep. On the bright side, at least White and Co. will always have those "amazing" Red Hot Chili Peppers on their side.
So, in short, don't cross the boss ... or his kids.