THE CLINCH REPORT

By: Jonathan M. King The Clinch Report

A magazine that is not even worth sourcing, has labeled UFC President Dana White #8 on a list of the “Top 25 Sleaziest Men in Sports”. White is the meat in the sleaze sandwich with one piece of bread being that of an admitted cheater (Lance Armstrong #9), and convicted felon and alleged woman beater (War Machine #7), as the other slice according to the article.

The periodical aledges that White “underpays his employee’s, bullies his rivals and, generally impersonating Don King as a bald white guys doesn’t do wonders for his charisma.”

Breaking Down the Bullshit:

We can start with the first accusation. Although we have no idea what the UFC corporate workers make, the fighters are the highest paid fighters in the industry, and although mixed martial artists are vastly underpaid with respect to boxers and other professional athletes. The UFC still pays the most. That is why most fighter want to fight there. There pay structure is higher than any other promotion and have created the sports first multi millionaires. So to say he underpays his employees; at least on the fighters side is completely irresponsible. Simply because it is untrue.

Secondly White “bullies his rivals”, the author of this tripe may be confusing competition with “bullying”. Is Dana White brash? yes, he certainly is. Does he curse an awful lot for an executive? Yes he does. Does he meet his detractors and competitors head on? yes he does. Does that make him a bully? Absolutely not. Is he tough on his competition? Absolutely. Arent you supposed to be?

As the head of the UFC White is the target not only for soundbites by the media, but for the spears that all the ‘fly by night promoters’ hurl. With their “we are gonna be better than the UFC” mantras. White has even started some of these beefs himself, but not out of hatred but out of a competitive desire to succeed. White is a winner. Like Jordan, Bird, Rose, he’s not cuddly. Most winners are guarded, measured personalities that rarely break from competition. Does that make him a bully?

As far as “impersonating Don King as a bald white guy” is an obvious attempt at taking a shot at not only someone’s character but their appearance. Odd for an author who just accused his subject of “bullying”tactics, for these are the methods of  the bully. The author might also want to do a little research because he compared White to a convicted murderer, that now happens to promote boxing.

Dana White is a tough character to understand. He has been a huge advocate for the sport of mixed martial arts, and this article cites one jaded opinion without presenting any of the facts. The facts are simple and undisputable. Dana White has built a sport not single handedly, but collectively he has played a huge part. Since White has been in charge the sport has moved from back alleys to the back pages of the sports sections. Even those who dislike him profoundly have to admit his role has been crucial to the sports success.

No longer relegated to monthly PPV’s, the UFC has played a major role in bringing the sport to the mainstream. Leading that charge is Dana White. You may not like him or agree with him. He is at times a curmudgeon, often confrontational, and fiercely protective of his brand. You can rightfully accuse Dana White of all of these things. But he has other traits the author neglected to mention.

He is also guilty of donating tons of money and time for kids, he makes sure to spend time with the fans, and even engages and occasionally endears some of his detractors on twitter. However to refer to him as one of the “sleaziest” people in sports is pretty hacky. A pathetic attempt to push off TMZ-esque nonsense as actual news. Calling Dana White one of the sleaziest men in sports is a statement made by someone who knows nothing about sports or sleaze for that matter.