UFC President Dana White does not understand why athletes competing for the Ultimate Fighting Championship act as if they have a career job.
White spoke on the subject yesterday suggesting that fighters currently competing for the UFC should look at their job an opportunity, but not as a career.
Here is the video: pic.twitter.com/22ePafuBc2
— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) June 20, 2020
“My number one goal always is that I don’t want to layoff any of my employees and I don’t want fighters inactive and unable to compete. You know when you are a professional athlete, you have a very small window of opportunity. A very limited amount of time.” Dana White explained. “You know, we get into all this money sh*t and stuff that is going on right now. Everybody acts like this is a f*cking career. This isn’t a career. This is not a career. This is an opportunity. Anything can happen in any given moment. Your knee could blow out, your back, your this, your that. Umm, Covid-19 you know? Who the hell knows what is coming down the pipeline. So you have to take every opportunity that you can get.”
Dana White’s controversial comments come shortly following a ton of fighter backlash against the promotion. After current stars Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal both asked for their release from the UFC due to pay disputes, a ton of former fighters began sharing their stories of poor treatment from the promotion online.
Gray Maynard, Mike Pierce, Sam Stout and Roland Delorme were among many fighters who spoke out against the UFC, Dana White and former matchmaker Joe Silva.
Although Dana White did not respond directly to the allegations made by some of his former fighters, he did send a direct message to those individuals currently employed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
What do you think of Dana White suggesting that fighting for the UFC is not a career but simply an opportunity? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on June 20, 2020