Dana White Defends TUF, Drops More Hints About the "Next Anderson Silva"
('You guys want something to drink? A dozen shots of tequila, maybe? It's how I test people's ethical fiber. Just a thing I do.')
UFC president Dana White appeared on the Carmichael Dave sports talk radio show to talk about the UFC's global expansion, this season of The Ultimate Fighter, and of course do a little EliteXC/Kimbo Slice bashing. You know, a normal day. He also found himself defending the decision not to kick Junie Browning off the show, and followed it up with a justification for the plentiful alcohol in the TUF mansion:
A lot of people are horrified that I didn't kick Junie off the show. ...I'll tell you exactly how this thing works. I never know what's going on at the house unless something bad happens. I see what happened at the house when you guys see. The way it works is something bad happens, they call me, and they say, 'Something bad happened. We need you.' I go to the gym, they have a tape queued up and ready for me, I watch what happened. Then I drive over to the house and I deal with it.
So this happened, I drive over to the house...I get out of my car, I walk in, and [TUF producer] Andrea [Richter] is like, 'Okay, we got it all set up, we got his flight home,' and I'm like, 'Andrea, I don't know if I'm going to kick him off.' She was like, 'What!?' I mean, everybody was ready. Everybody knew I was kicking him off.
I said, 'I don't know what's up with me. But I'm going to walk in there and I'm going to wing it. I'm going to see how this kid acts and then I'll make a decision. ...I thought he was going to be a punk. But he wasn't. ...You'll see what happens later in the season.
Naturally, White also claims that this is the best season they've ever done, repeating the claim, "we came off with a kid at 155 pounds who could be the next Anderson Silva."
Asked whether that might be Junie, since he seems to be the most talented guy in the house, White responded, "But he's not. He's not the most talented guy. See, that's the thing, everybody thought I was talking about Junie."
Then White went on the offensive against those who criticize the UFC's policy of providing copious amounts of free alcohol to pro athletes locked up in a house with no distractions.
What you have to understand is, this isn't the UFC! The Ultimate Fighter are guys who want to be in the UFC. They want to be UFC fighters. They're not UFC fighters. I've heard all kinds of shit, people shooting their mouths off. Even old, bitter fuckers who were on the show before. I just heard a couple of them mouthing off. Here's the reality, okay, this thing is a training camp for us. We get to see these guys...they're like, 'they put the alcohol in there so people will drink it.' Yeah, retard. If you're fucking dumb enough to drink alcohol and blow your opportunity while you're on the show, that's your problem, not mine. Yeah, I'm going to put alcohol in there.
Oh, I get it. It's a test! They want to see what your weaknesses are. You know what else they should put in there? How about a bunch of money-hungry groupies. Maybe some cocaine, too. You know, simulate the temptations of fame, just to see if they can handle it. And make sure the cameras are rolling.
White even responded to Mike Dolce's claim (without mentioning his name, of course) that it took the TUF producers several days to get him a free-range chicken breast, while tequila and beer showed up within minutes. White's rebuttal:
Is a free-range chicken going to help you win your fucking fight? Are you out of your mind? We give these guys whatever they want. They write down a list and these guys run around and get them whatever they want. I guarantee you a liquor request they can get quicker than a free-range chicken.
You can drink alcohol when you're not in the house. If that's part of your life, and you turn into an absolute lunatic when you drink, I want to know that. I want to know that, I want to see it. These guys are in a pressure cooker, man.
Look, we all know why there's alcohol in the TUF house. It's there for the same reason TV, books, magazines, and phones are not there -- to make for more interesting reality TV. It's not some moral test. Would it be so absolutely insane for White to just admit that and move on?
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Comments
jim smith Says:
Dana can't make a valid point why there is no TV, radio or books, but yet there is alcohol. If there is a choice to drink alcohol, there should be a choice to watch TV or talk on the phone.
He also says "I thought he was going to be a punk. But he wasn’t. …You’ll see what happens later in the season". that means Junie will not get kicked out after junping the cage last week. If I was in the house, I would tell dana that I didn't feel safe with Junie there.
skidding Says:
They need to bring back Jose "Hitler-dawg" Aguillar, or I'm not watching.
Dana White, talking to Jim Smith Says:
You don't feel safe? What do you mean you don't feel safe?
You're a fucking fighter. Don't feel safe? What the fuck is that?
You want to fight for a fucking living, and you're afraid of a fucking fighter?
Fuck, dude, you need to do something else. You need to work at a desk or something, man.
ruckus Says:
lol, yea... its not too surprising that they were able to get tequila faster than free range chicken...
i dont see why people complain so much... its just TV, let the drunks act all crazy... at the end of the day we still get to see some good fighters develop... you can argue with the process, but the results of TUF have become pretty apparent.
i'm glad they're keeping junie in. he looks like a good fighter, creates some drama... every now and then its fun to see an angry asshole in the octagon. TUF remains on the bottom of my priority list for MMA, so I dont need it to be perfectly legitimate.
DROP DEAD JACK Says:
...How many think Feeleepay is the "next Anderson Silva". Other than him I don't recall anyone standing out too much besides Junie and Hitler-dog.
ruckus Says:
DROP DEAD JACK:
Yea, I feel/hope it might be him. As a big fan of the 155 division i'm pretty excited about this new prospect, especially considering that Dana has pretty much already started promoting him.
massacre Says:
thats a major contradiction. Dana wants to weed out the fuckers that cant handle themselves around alcohol yet he allows junies dumbass to stay. That a boy Dana........tool.
Olie Says:
I think people need to cut Dana White some slack. He seems like actually a nice enough guy. Sure he's probably money grabbing in certain aspects but he doesn't take shit. He's the UFC President for fuck sake, he can do what he wants. He usually comes across as a humble guy and most of the time fairly intelligent.
Quite interested to know what 155'er he is talking about.
Olie Says:
Oh yeah, also, I'm looking forward to Bader v Krzysztof. Should be a great fight.
Aaron Says:
Free range chicken? Where do they get these guys? The Sensitive Fighter? I must admit that watching Mac Danzig and his humming bird was classic. Fighters come from all walks. I'll punch a guy in the face for money, but I will only eat a chicken that had the opportunity to roam freely on a farm... hmmm.
Koeikan Says:
I love cagepotato, but I'm not a fan of the commentary in this article.
I'm the same age as a lot of the guys on the show and I have some background in martial arts. I find nothing wrong with them having alcohol in the house, no matter they're motivation.
Can't it be both? Can it be a test along with serving as a possible injection of drama? You should be able to consume alcohol without losing it completely. By now, the fighters should be aware of what happens to the guys that get hammered. Things don't typically go well, and NONE of the TUF winners hadn't drunken exploits (Bisping ran his mouth a bit, but that was about it).
These guys are adults and should be able to deal with it.
Teila Tuli's Tooth Says:
Yeah, that's what makes the show interesting, is all the different personalities mashed together in the house. You can't forget about Sam "Sticky Fingers" Hogar either...
greenseed Says:
"next ASilva"....wasnt he reffering to joe duarte before he lost?
shitwhistle Says:
If it ain't Julie Browning, it's gotta be Felipe.
" You know what else they should put in there? How about a bunch of money-hungry groupies. Maybe some cocaine, too. You know, simulate the temptations of fame, just to see if they can handle it. And make sure the cameras are rolling."
- C'mon. Gimme a fuckin' break. How old are these dudes? Nobody forces them to drink. Be a fucking man. Lots of people on the prior seasons didn't drink. Some did well, others didn't. That being said, of course the drinking makes for better tv. They can't just show fights on the show (I wish they could). It's more fun to watch them get drunk and rowdy than sit around and play Pictionary.
Vrax Says:
I'm pretty sure that the guy White is referring to does a blog on this very site...
Geriatric Peon Says:
@Koeikan: True they should be able to handle alcohol but boredom can cause people to go excessive on things that they normally wouldn't (i.e. alcohol) The winners may have gone of the deep end eventually had the others not cracked first providing them with entertainment.
The point the article is try to make is that Dana saying that he is making the house "like the outside world" is b.s. because he doesn't include other distractions like tv, women, mags, internet, etc.
Teila Tuli's Tooth Says:
Well said SW..
Flyweight Says:
It's definitely Nover. His stand up was on point in the qualification episode. Nobody else even looked like they had ACTUALLY trained for a long period of time in a standup based martial art. And I don't mean training specifically for MMA, I mean training in Muay Thai, Karate etc—having a traditional standup base. I don't mean having occasional pointers from a kickboxing coach. You could tell the technique was there, and it wasn't on an amateurish level. I don't know what the fighters' backgrounds are, but they didn't look like TRUE martial artists. A lot of them look like Wrestlers turned MMA guys. Not Martial Artists turned MMA guys ala GSP, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida.
B Says:
wtf is free range chicken?
shitwhistle Says:
At the risk of sounding like Dana, some of these guys have such a fuckin' sense of entitlement.
"Whaaa. Where's my free range chicken?" "This is unfair, that's unfair" These guys are put on the fast track to a fuckin' three digit contract, for fucks sake. Like DW says, you know how many guys would kill to be here? You know how many guys, some with more skills than you, will toil for years in cage rage, kotc, rumble on the rock, et al?
They should be able to put you in a cardboard box with only bread and water, and if you're dedicated to fighting and want this bad enough, you'll fuckin' deal with it and fight as hard as you can. God, these goddamn crybabies. Something tells me if the entire cast was from Brazil, or somewhere like that, nobody would be whining.
Remember, I'm only eleven.
the glza Says:
i agree with shitwhistle up there. i saw this show once where a pair of american kickboxers go to thailand to train, and they explained that thai fighters have this concept of "living like a fighter." essentially, they live on the bare minimum -- sleeping on the floor, eating only rice and veggies, making do without any comforts, and it seemed like a really virtuous way to define yourself as a fighter. these kids are over privileged douchebags who live in a freakin mansion and cry if they don't get their free-range chicken. FUCK YOU -- EAT BUGS! live like a fighter, you goddamned wuss.
cl Says:
shitwhistle: "At the risk of sounding like Dana, some of these guys have such a fuckin’ sense of entitlement."
If they are promised 'X' then the producers should deliver it. If they had just said to Dolce "suck it up and eat the Purdue chicken like everyone else" that would be the end of it. The fact that they were more than willing to satisfy everyone's alcohol requests but not people's food requests shows where the real issue is. One raises ratings, the other doesn't.
Clue-by-Four Says:
shitwhistle: "At the risk of sounding like Dana, some of these guys have such a fuckin’ sense of entitlement."
If they are promised 'X' then the producers should deliver it. If they had just said to Dolce "suck it up and eat the Purdue chicken like everyone else" that would be the end of it. The fact that they were more than willing to satisfy everyone's alcohol requests but not people's food requests shows where the real issue is. One raises ratings, the other doesn't.
Geriatric Peon Says:
It is easy for Dana White to say "they should live on a dirt floor and be grateful for that floor" when he has ridiculous wealth provided by his friends inheritance and the hard work of actual fighters.
He is a pretty smart marketing mind but if it wasn't for Forest/Bonner 1 when the ufc was some 44 million in debt and the casino boys were about to bail, he would be another bum on the side of the road.
shitwhistle Says:
@ clue
"If they had just said to Dolce “suck it up and eat the Purdue chicken like everyone else” "...
We're talking about Dana White here. I think that's a forgone conclusion.
My point still stands, I see those cats making all kinds of crazy food. They are certainly not starving. Who knows if Dolce specifically asked for free range chicken and the producers said "no problem". If that happened, I guess that sucks, but holy crap, it's not the end of the world.
I don't think a lack of free range chicken made him lose a fight. Being hungover, maybe...
"The fact that they were more than willing to satisfy everyone’s alcohol requests but not people’s food requests shows where the real issue is. One raises ratings, the other doesn’t."
It just doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. It's reality tv, not the state of the union address.
Clue-by-Four Says:
@shit
You might want to take a moment and realize that the only one blowing this to "end of the world" proportion is you.
shitwhistle Says:
Point well taken, clue. Although, you're right here with me.
It just irks me that these dudes can't see the forrest through the trees. I remember Diego Sanchez on the show. Maybe I'm wrong, but I seem to remember him not getting involved with the drama, not drinking.... just keeping his head down and his eyes on the prize. These dudes should be to busy training and shit to worry about free range chicken.
Anonymous Says:
honestly now would u wanna watch a bunch of muscle bown dick heads watch tv or a bunch of muscle bown dick heads drink and go crazy
DROP DEAD JACK Says:
@ anonymous
Good point...I'll admit i'm a sucker for drama and thats is why I plan on watching tonight. We've got to remember that this is a TV SHOW and I'll bet that Dana and company are more concerned about finding ratings than finding the next Silva. Sure Dana says alcohol is for this and for that but for shits sake, do we really believe that? I sure as fuck don't. I'm sure Dana likes to see who the fuckups are but that didn't stop him from marketing Chris Leben and that didn't stop him from giving JT money a shot. Please.
As for the fact that these guys can't stay away from the drinks...well fuck them thats just an example of their poor will power. I'm not sure but I don't think they have had a winner of TUF that was one of the drunk fuck ups.
toolverine Says:
Free range is chicken that has not been raised in a cage.
Dakyn Says:
So if Junie isn't the next Anderson Silva at 155lbs from the House then Junie obviously doesn't get to the finals...
I mean the next Anderson Silva obviously will and Dana dismisses Junie as being the most talented 155er....
homegrowncone Says:
Yes it is for ratings. They will stop giving them unlimited alcohol when someone gets critically injured and or arrested. That is their responsibility to the viewer.
Big Whoop Says:
From the prelim fights, the most similar fighter to A. Silva looked like Shane Nelson, and I still think that is who Dana was referring to (also has BJJ skill). It's not as though we should have been expecting the #1 LW in the world to be on TUF, he is only 24. I forget who they were, but only three fighters were 24, and that's how old Dana said the guy was.
Meohfumado Says:
Why does Dana do this? He's following a reality show formula people! The reason they cut you off from regular society is to provoke this sort of fishbowl drama. Push your buttons while you are devoid of your support structure like gf, wife, parents and friends. Take away your creature comforts and see how often you lose it.
Its reality TV, and the setup surprises you people?
cgood24 Says:
I think almost every opinion on here is just about STUPID! 1st of all, these guys are not in the house for months, try weeks so if you can't go w/o talking to your family or watching a little tv for a month then they shouldn't be there. This is a month long interview to become a fighter in the UFC. Alcohol just makes it interesting & gives Dana a chance to see how they handle the pressure of all of it, makes it more interesting for us too, the viewers. How these fighters can live in a house with guys they are gonna fight, guys that have attitude's, & play pranks w/o fighting outside the octagon is beyond me. They do have strengths that most of us don't see because they don't air that on tv. You know it can't be easy living with all those personalities together. The hardest part is probably going w/o sex for a month if you ask me.
2nd, Dana gave no inclination if Junie was going to the finals or not. Why would he? That doesn't make good ratings for tv if he gives away the finalist does it? he didn't say he wasn't going to be there did he?
3rd, I watch every UFC PPV, every season of the ultimate fighter, & any other good MMA fight I can. So here's statements that I believe is true. 1) Kimbo Slice is overrated, not only did his last fight prove it but so did his previous fight. What's gonna happen when he has to fight Fedur or some of the ex UFC fighters that joined Elite? He will get demolished, he's just another Tank Abbott. Fun to watch fight but not an all around MMA fighter. 2) Why does the UFC let so many good fighters go? Just this year they let go of 3 excellent fighters. they do bring in some good fighters too but why let Tito go? He's a fan favorite and a good fighter. 3) When is Rich Franklin gonna get back to champion form? Yes he did win his last fight but still looked off his previous skills that he has shown before. Does anyone else think that maybe Anderson Silva got into his head by beating him, beating him badly and now Rich just isn't the same anymore. Nonetheless Rich you are still my favorite fighter but you need to step it up a bit in your next fight. 4) Is Brock Lesnar soon going to become the most feared fighter in thge UFC & probably the world. He's a beast! He will soon become champion & I predict hold the belt for a very long time. He's gonna be almost impossible to KO and did you see how he speared Heath Ledger in the opening minute of his fight & then just beat him, beat him, and beat him. He could of ended the fight but I believe he was making a statement to the UFC and the other heavyweights. 5) Will someone please beat Anderson Silva, plase! I am so sick of hearing about him being the best pound for pound fighter. Take away his knees and elbows and your left with a mediocre fighter. Somebody needs to study his clinch then take that part out of his game and demolish him. I can't wait for the day when a fighter knocks him out. Oh yeah, learn to speak english Anderson. I hate interviews with a translater, it's so annoying.
Thanks for reading! :)
shitwhistle Says:
cgood, i agree with damn near everything you said.
1) you're right - kimbos overrated. However, he's still the smartest thing EliteXC ever did.
2) You're 100% right. They are eliminating the middle class of the UFC.
3) "When is Rich Franklin gonna get back to champion form? " - He's not.
4) I'm 50/50 on this one. I don't want him to do well, but he just might.
and yes, Anderson should learn to speak broken spanglish.
ufc fan Says:
i got my first pube today its ginger
emptyhandkiller Says:
I am so mad. I wish I was part of the TUF contestants. I would intentionally lose my first fight, tapping out as soon as the ref yelled, "Let's FIGHT!". For the rest of the season, I would just lie around the mansion, getting drunk and eating all that free food. That would be the life. Until the season ended and Dana kicked my fat carcass out of the house.
ssmr0501 Says:
cgood24 - When did brock lesnar fight heath ledger?
Jason G Says:
cgood, sounds like you're being a hater cause you like Franklin and Silva destroyed him twice. i like Franklin too but it's pretty immature to talk a lot of smack about someone you don't seem to know much about.
1) Silva speaks English. It's somewhat broken but understandable.
2) Even without elbows and knees he has excellent striking and a good ground game.
3) So what if a lot of people think he's p4p best. I think Fedor is the best but i don't think it's outrageous for people to say Silva or GSP is (Penn is a little too much of a reach).
Jason G Says:
cgood, sounds like you're being a hater cause you like Franklin and Silva destroyed him twice. i like Franklin too but it's pretty immature to talk a lot of smack about someone you don't seem to know much about.
1) Silva speaks English. It's somewhat broken but understandable.
2) Even without elbows and knees he has excellent striking and a good ground game.
3) So what if a lot of people think he's p4p best. I think Fedor is the best but i don't think it's outrageous for people to say Silva or GSP is (Penn is a little too much of a reach).
Below I'm gonna be immature and a smartass and you'll probably be pissed so enjoy.
Why are you having fantasies about Lesnar and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain Together?
TMAGuy Says:
cgood - hilarious. Take away his elbows and knees and fists and what do you have left? He would really suck! Yeah.
Really excellent point douche.
The subtitles and translators are a decision of the producers of the show. It's not really hard to understand Nog either, but still they use those damned subtitles. Frankly I have a harder time understanding Stanky (what a great crusty old f*ck that guys is!).
The alcohol is part of the game called TUF. You don't have to like it (I don't) but it's Dana's game, and he calls the shots (yes, I cringed to say it, but there you go).
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