
(Ladies go crazy for a sharp-dressed man, courtesy of Combat Lifestyle.)
One thing I’m going to miss with Gary Shaw backing into the shadows at Pro Elite is the name-calling and childish back-and-forth between he and Dana White. It was just so entertaining, what a shame to see it go. But the Dana White-Tom Atencio rivalry could be the next best thing. Sure, Atencio doesn’t wear a track suit, but he does have a wardrobe that appears to consist entirely of Affliction t-shirts, which is almost as good. Plus now he’s taking pages out of the Dana White playbook:
For the money-conscious cable-ready consumer, the difference between watching a free UFC show and paying $39.95 to watch Affliction might be a no-contest.
Affliction appeared to land one last counterpunch, however, making a deal to broadcast its card on closed-circuit television at Gold Coast casino, which is directly across from the Palms on Flamingo Road.
“It’s just another opportunity to watch our fight,” Atencio said.
Granted, it’s more of a symbolic gesture and not quite on par with scheduling an event on the same night as your competitor, but you have to love how Atencio — like White — plays dumb about it. The L.A. Times article actually has quite a few fun nuggets, most notably quotes from White where he plays the role of grizzled veteran MMA promoter:
“Nobody knows this sport or business of mixed martial arts better than I do,” White said. “I can sit right back and watch everything that everybody does and tell you exactly what’s going to happen.”
“The guy who owns this company sells T-shirts for a living,” White said. “They’ve never even put on a show.”
“You want to learn how to do this business,” he said. “Spend 44 [expletive] million dollars to figure it out like I did . . . maybe you’ll make it, maybe you won’t. Good luck.”
Good luck, indeed. Atencio got the last word in the article, however, encouraging fans to buy his event and tape the UFC’s, adding: “I’m going to. I’d be a fool not to.”








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commentsOr does this T-shirt (Tom Atencio) guy know how to run a business without blowing 44 million bucks of your friends/investors money to figure out what brings in the cheese? Check mate asshat.
Last time I checked it was the fighters that made the sport and it's Dana that stopped the fight that everyone wants to see happening (Couture versus Fedor) because he refused to let Fedor fight in sambo tournaments and get paid a little better...
He under pays his fighters and reaps the benefits. He is a turd.
Dana made MMA what it is today in terms of promoting and putting the right people in place - no one can argue that.
In the end, we reap the benefit of competition so stop the bitching seriously
THE ALEKSANDER FIGHT HAS BEEN CANCELED!!
HE IS MEDICALLY UNFIT.
funny you say that, since as far as I know he's the only event promoter/clothing company owner in this business who actually has had a pro fight - and won at that.
http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tom-Atencio-12095
I win
Dana just said, IN THE SAME STORY YOU JUST READ, that it took him 44 mil. to get it right. He's not saying the UFC is doing ok because of his background. He is saying because of the 44 mil.
DOOOOOOOOUUUU YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUIIIII UNNNNDDDEERRRRSSSSTTTTTAAAAAANNNNNNNSSSSSSSSSSDDDDDDDDDDSSSSSSS???????????????????????????????
Dana is an Ex-Jazzercise instructor.....
Ohhhhh...Sorry Dana...I didn't see your connection to MMA as being better until now....I really see how Jazzercise connects with MMA.....
(Please don't give me the Cardio bullshit answer either....)
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