Dana White and Ariel Helwani talked about the issues of the day following UFC on FX.
Following UFC On FX, MMA Fighting reporter Ariel Helwani chatted with UFC President Dana White on a variety of topics including Jim Miller's title aspirations, the UFC On Fox changes, the rehab of Georges St. Pierre and more.
A few highlights:
White said he "couldn't be happier" with how things are going right now.
White has a "100% guarantee" that if Sonnen wins, he will fight Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva this summer, likely in Brazil. Helwani asked White if a Bisping win might make him reconsider moving a Silva/Bisping battle to England.
White said that Brazil has surpassed Canada as the "new mecca of mixed martial arts."
He talked about why Phil Davis isn't necessarily the No. 1 contender to Jon Jones if he defeats Rashad Evans and who would get the shot if Evans wins but gets hurt.
White discussed UFC Primetime: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit and the "intriguing, mysterious" character that is Diaz.
White gave an update on St. Pierre's incredible rehab and his "hate" for Diaz.
He talked about his frustrations with coverage about the Montreal situation, including a bizarre comment about the event in Atlanta not being guaranteed either.
Especially with their current laws that forbid fights greater than 3 rounds. I think they’re just doing Sweden so they can say they did it, and that’ll be that.
But there are a lot of bands liked by many people since then. Maybe not as iconic as the ones mentioned, but then the ones mentioned highly influenced musicians the world over.
We have some solid film makers and actors currently working too, a long list I don’t have the time to go into right now.
Brazil is a rapidly developing economy with 200 million people
Canada may still be the P4P MMA capital, or more importantly for the UFC, MMA$ per capita, but overall it can’t compete with the Brazil and especially the US. Even 50M Brazil viewers won’t come close to paying off as well as a decent US PPV event.
But yeah, the UK isn’t worth any more major investment, especially the opportunity cost of a Silva-Bisping fight (time zone issues killing PPV slaes, smaller venue vs Brazil, etc).
The best thing about 50M Brazil viewers (or whatever the number is)
Is that if they just do 2-4 events a year for the next 4-5 years in Brazil, BAM, they’ve created an entire nation of fight fans. Millions and millions and millions of hardcore, dedicated viewers. Especially considering the quality of fighters Brazil produces, Brazil’s going to be a huge market down the road.
Anderson and Vitor are huge right now, but aging stars. Aldo and JDS are younger stars poised to be huge Brazilian draws when those two decline. They can make more money right now by doing PPVs in the US, but the value of that market long term is insanely high.
I wasn’t saying that a fight in Brazil is a bad business move (a Silva fight in the UK would be, though). Just saying that Canada really had no chance of staying “the Mecca of MMA” with only 35M people, and how limited that statement was in the first place. The US remark was just a side note.
Brazil has some serious potential. With so many fight fans, they may have to start a parallel promotion there to prevent someone else from filling that void.
Is it fair to say Melvin "doesn't take things seriously"?
Might it not be that the guy just isn’t very good at jiu-jitsu? I mean, Jake Shields still has shitty stand-up and yet he’s been training in it for well over a decade. You’d never accuse Jake of not taking things seriously.
Diaz doesn't have the defense of Alves (or Shields)
Nor does he have the athleticism of Koscheck.
If we get a decision, it’ll look more like GSP-Fitch. I really hope that everyone picks GSP by decision, though, as I think betting on a GSP finish could have serious value.
On one hand, I want Nick to beat Georges. So I’d like them to fight ASAP, before St. Pierre is 100%.
On the other, I want it to be a good fight and I don’t want GSP’s career to suffer from a recurring
If Georges isn’t 100%, I’m not sure he can dominate late in the fight.
If he is healthy, I think he’ll take Nick down and win a UD.
No one really roughs up Nick on the ground, he’s a great scrambler and protects his head well. Georges has been getting less and less aggressive with his GnP.
True, but when it comes down to it he actually fights best when his opponent is talking shit. After hearing Hughe’s smarming on TUF 4, he wrecked him. After being called Frenchie by Matt Serra, he murderized him. And then, B.J. Penn said he was going to try and kill GSP, and that didn’t work either.
I think a pissed GSP is a great GSP. Every time Nick gets brought up to him you can see the anger boiling. If Nick gets past Condit (I don’t want to count Condit out of anything), it’s going to be epic.
That’s what separates the best from the rest, and what determines who will win almost all of the time. So no, Diaz does not have way better boxing.
Diaz defense is very mediocre. He knows how to survive, and it’s not Lesnar-esque, but his opponents repeatedly land solid strikes on him. GSP is the complete opposite – he’s the hardest to hit fighter in the UFC. That single Serra punch tends to hide that fact, but it’s true.
Some people will be shocked, but GSP is going to outstrike Diaz by a huge margin on the feet.
GSP is going to outstrike Diaz by a huge margin on the feet.
I have hard time seeing this happen. One reason is 85% of this fight will take place on the ground.
The other reason, is that Georges would have to throw and land at least 250 punches to do(in a stand up fight) and I just don’t think his jab will be able to do much to Nick.
Nick’s in his own category. His defense is his offense(and his chin) and he uses that to wear his opponents down. Its working well for him.
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
If GSP finishes someone, Pat Barry drops a gogoplata, and Dana White doesn’t swear at someone, prepare for Armageddon.
I'd hardly call GSP "teammates" with anyone at Jackson's at this point
Jackson is more like a hired hand to come in and help out every once in awhile…they both benefit from being associated from each other but they have very little to do with each other anymore.
Jackson crafts GSP’s game plan, designs his training regiment, and corners him in the fight. Unless something has changed recently, Jackson has a lot to do with GSP.
I don't think anyone gives Jackson much credit for GSP's success
GSP often doesn’t even follow his advice. In the strategy-laden second BJ fight, when Jackson said “kickbox him for a round”, GSP went for GnP. Then in the Hardy fight, after which people were keen on saying Jackson made GSP boring, he was telling GSP to stack Hardy from guard and rain down punches, and it worked the couple times that GSP tried, but he didn’t do it much beyond that and kept subbornly chasing the submission.
I think Jackson’s crowning achievements are in the lesser guys. With Jardine, his coaching and strategy was able to take one of the least naturally talented fighters ever in the UFC, IMO, and get huge wins. His theatrics apparently got Condit’s aggression up for the third round of the Rory McDonald fight. He really helped Guillard get his game together, too.
GSP is exposed, GSP is ME, LETS MUTHERFUKERS, I am no Michael Bisping, 8/12 is 80%, Northern English spelling, Waking up in train yards, all of it. More if it is at the expense of Cabbage.
This whole thing about GSP´s wolverine like regenerative superpowers
It sounds exactly like the same bs, that was spewed about Brock Lesnars health and abilities, in his comeback fight against Alastair Overreem. I hope that GSP is doing well, but fighting 6 months after an ACL replacement surgery at the highest echelon of fighting, I find it hard to believe at best. When all is said and done about this topic…
GSP doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who will go into a fight with a bum knee. He was guessing November before, so if he fights sooner, then it’s pretty safe to say that his knee is almost perfect.
Aww
Seeing Silva smash Bisping in the UK would’ve been fun.
Terra17 - January 21, 2012
The UK's a market UFC might as well cut their losses with
It just doesn’t have the financial appeal new areas like Brazil has.
KJ Gould - January 21, 2012
The UFC expanding to Sweden, Australia etc.
Makes their dis-interest in the UK worse.
It’s not a big deal that they don’t care about us anymore, what I want is for the UFC (especially Zelaznik) to stop pretending that they do.
YPG - January 21, 2012
I don't see the point in Sweden either
Especially with their current laws that forbid fights greater than 3 rounds. I think they’re just doing Sweden so they can say they did it, and that’ll be that.
KJ Gould - January 21, 2012
Indeed.
Kefka - January 21, 2012
no one cares about the uk in any context
UncleMax - January 21, 2012
Au contraire
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd et cetera.
KJ Gould - January 21, 2012
Good job prooving that nothing good has come out of there since about 1983.
I might as well list the UK’s former colonies and call them a “currently a great imperial power”
UncleMax - January 22, 2012
*proving
UncleMax - January 22, 2012
Depends on your musical tastes
But there are a lot of bands liked by many people since then. Maybe not as iconic as the ones mentioned, but then the ones mentioned highly influenced musicians the world over.
We have some solid film makers and actors currently working too, a long list I don’t have the time to go into right now.
KJ Gould - January 22, 2012
Peter Cetera?
Sant-E - January 30, 2012
At least we're not the most hated country in the World
YPG - January 22, 2012
No, we're just the most hated country in the World's lapdog :\
KJ Gould - January 22, 2012
Brazil is a rapidly developing economy with 200 million people
Canada may still be the P4P MMA capital, or more importantly for the UFC, MMA$ per capita, but overall it can’t compete with the Brazil and especially the US. Even 50M Brazil viewers won’t come close to paying off as well as a decent US PPV event.
But yeah, the UK isn’t worth any more major investment, especially the opportunity cost of a Silva-Bisping fight (time zone issues killing PPV slaes, smaller venue vs Brazil, etc).
paythefighters - January 21, 2012
The best thing about 50M Brazil viewers (or whatever the number is)
Is that if they just do 2-4 events a year for the next 4-5 years in Brazil, BAM, they’ve created an entire nation of fight fans. Millions and millions and millions of hardcore, dedicated viewers. Especially considering the quality of fighters Brazil produces, Brazil’s going to be a huge market down the road.
Anderson and Vitor are huge right now, but aging stars. Aldo and JDS are younger stars poised to be huge Brazilian draws when those two decline. They can make more money right now by doing PPVs in the US, but the value of that market long term is insanely high.
Jeremiah Johnson. - January 21, 2012
With the BJJ heritage there it surprises me that MMA hasn’t taken hold sooner.
UncleMax - January 22, 2012
Totally agree
I wasn’t saying that a fight in Brazil is a bad business move (a Silva fight in the UK would be, though). Just saying that Canada really had no chance of staying “the Mecca of MMA” with only 35M people, and how limited that statement was in the first place. The US remark was just a side note.
Brazil has some serious potential. With so many fight fans, they may have to start a parallel promotion there to prevent someone else from filling that void.
paythefighters - January 22, 2012
Is it fair to say Melvin "doesn't take things seriously"?
Might it not be that the guy just isn’t very good at jiu-jitsu? I mean, Jake Shields still has shitty stand-up and yet he’s been training in it for well over a decade. You’d never accuse Jake of not taking things seriously.
Newman24 - January 21, 2012
It's not his ground game he's talking about
It’s Melvin jumping around the cage in a fight he absolutely needs to keep standing.
KGNLuc - January 21, 2012
If you jump around and throw flying knees over and over, it’s harder for people to grab you and take you down! DUH!
thirdparty - January 21, 2012
It is also easier to slip
Like what happened to Guillard last night
Andy Anderson - January 21, 2012
Sorry, I was being completely sarcastic.
thirdparty - January 21, 2012
sorry dude
With the characters on here lately I can’t be sure. I forgot that you have been here probably longer than me.
Andy Anderson - January 21, 2012
He didn’t slip. Miller took the knee to get in deep, wrapped both legs and drove through for the takedown.
JustBlogGuy - January 21, 2012
GSP is going to smash Diaz. Shades of GSP-Penn 2 methinks.
MicahtheCynic - January 21, 2012
GSP hates Diaz is just Dana-Hype. He’s gonna decision him like Thiago Alves.
KGNLuc - January 21, 2012
agree, plus he wants to fight diaz because its the easier fight for him.
CVD - January 21, 2012
The first and only time Alves will have his name mentioned in the same sentence as Nick Diaz.
sheikybaby - January 21, 2012
their careers definitely seem to be going in opposite directions
but Alves was a bad man at one point
Pat Tzu - January 21, 2012
He's still a great fighter
He just got Fitch’d once and wall’n’stalled by Story. The latter was preventable, though, if only he stayed away from the cage.
Other than GSP, I don’t think anyone at WW has better striking. He got great defense, too.
paythefighters - January 22, 2012
Diaz doesn't have the defense of Alves (or Shields)
Nor does he have the athleticism of Koscheck.
If we get a decision, it’ll look more like GSP-Fitch. I really hope that everyone picks GSP by decision, though, as I think betting on a GSP finish could have serious value.
paythefighters - January 21, 2012
How close to 100% GSP comes back,
Will dictate what happens. If he has lost a half step or quarter step off his takedown, my money is on Diaz
jhf884 - January 21, 2012
Diaz has way better boxing
and defense on the ground than anyone Georges has fought. Even BJ.
He’s a completely different fighter than both. Any sort of MMAth doesn’t work here at all.
TheFilt - January 21, 2012
GSP is also leagues better than any fighter Diaz has faced.
It’s going to be a one sided beating with GSP swinging the mallet.
MicahtheCynic - January 22, 2012
I’m actually torn.
On one hand, I want Nick to beat Georges. So I’d like them to fight ASAP, before St. Pierre is 100%.
On the other, I want it to be a good fight and I don’t want GSP’s career to suffer from a recurring
If Georges isn’t 100%, I’m not sure he can dominate late in the fight.
If he is healthy, I think he’ll take Nick down and win a UD.
No one really roughs up Nick on the ground, he’s a great scrambler and protects his head well. Georges has been getting less and less aggressive with his GnP.
TheFilt - January 22, 2012
True, but when it comes down to it he actually fights best when his opponent is talking shit. After hearing Hughe’s smarming on TUF 4, he wrecked him. After being called Frenchie by Matt Serra, he murderized him. And then, B.J. Penn said he was going to try and kill GSP, and that didn’t work either.
I think a pissed GSP is a great GSP. Every time Nick gets brought up to him you can see the anger boiling. If Nick gets past Condit (I don’t want to count Condit out of anything), it’s going to be epic.
MicahtheCynic - January 22, 2012
To me, defense is 80% of striking
That’s what separates the best from the rest, and what determines who will win almost all of the time. So no, Diaz does not have way better boxing.
Diaz defense is very mediocre. He knows how to survive, and it’s not Lesnar-esque, but his opponents repeatedly land solid strikes on him. GSP is the complete opposite – he’s the hardest to hit fighter in the UFC. That single Serra punch tends to hide that fact, but it’s true.
Some people will be shocked, but GSP is going to outstrike Diaz by a huge margin on the feet.
paythefighters - January 22, 2012
I have hard time seeing this happen. One reason is 85% of this fight will take place on the ground.
The other reason, is that Georges would have to throw and land at least 250 punches to do(in a stand up fight) and I just don’t think his jab will be able to do much to Nick.
Nick’s in his own category. His defense is his offense(and his chin) and he uses that to wear his opponents down. Its working well for him.
TheFilt - January 22, 2012
He clearly has better boxing than BJ
Who had the best boxing GSP ever faced.
Defense be damned. Its not even a question at this point.
TheFilt - January 22, 2012
Are you replying to me?
Cause I wasn’t doing mma math
jhf884 - January 22, 2012
I was agreeing with you
TheFilt - January 22, 2012
Maybe GSP is enthused at the thought of taking him to a decision.
“I’m gonna take Diaz to a 5 round decision fuck yeah with my performance”
UncleMax - January 22, 2012
Nick Diaz will quit on his bench
when hell freezes over.
Dave Strummer - January 21, 2012
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
If GSP finishes someone, Pat Barry drops a gogoplata, and Dana White doesn’t swear at someone, prepare for Armageddon.
thirdparty - January 21, 2012
I better grab the snowcone machine.
MicahtheCynic - January 21, 2012
I'm thinking Fitch/GSP
T.C. Engel - January 21, 2012
no it's not fair, it'd be better to say 'Melvin gonna Melvin'.
chronically low fight iq
UncleMax - January 21, 2012
was replying to newman24 "Is it fair to say Melvin “doesn’t take things seriously”?"
UncleMax - January 21, 2012
Melvin fought like a kid on Undisputed that just found out how to do flying knees.
Sweet Scientist - January 21, 2012
I thought the same thing watching Silva vs Sonnen
The Lethal Haze - January 21, 2012
Nice...
RECE ROCK - January 21, 2012 via mobile
Despite the many reasons there are not to hold a possible Bisping v Silva fight in the UK
Im certainly all for it. Being able to see the No.1 P4P fighter would be amazing!!
MJB! - January 21, 2012 via mobile
Despite the many reasons there are not to hold a possible Bisping v Silva fight in the UK
Im certainly all for it. Being able to see the No.1 P4P fighter would be amazing!!
MJB! - January 21, 2012 via mobile
So GSP is praying for his own teammate Carlos Condit to lose? GSP is exposed
Hendo_One-Shot - January 21, 2012
I'd hardly call GSP "teammates" with anyone at Jackson's at this point
Jackson is more like a hired hand to come in and help out every once in awhile…they both benefit from being associated from each other but they have very little to do with each other anymore.
Corrupted - January 21, 2012
Today, a joke was murdered in cold blood.
Hendo_One-Shot - January 21, 2012
That's an awesome line
I’m stealing it.
dedstrk316 - January 21, 2012
I think Greg Jackson Works on strategy with GSP... That's probably about it.
RECE ROCK - January 21, 2012 via mobile
I think it's more than that
Jackson crafts GSP’s game plan, designs his training regiment, and corners him in the fight. Unless something has changed recently, Jackson has a lot to do with GSP.
MS_Dos_Santos - January 21, 2012
he does not design Gsps training regiment
Firas does that and has done so for a long time now.
mcpeepants23200 - January 21, 2012
One of the reasons I was interested in the GSP-Condit fight was that we'd have seen GSP without Jackson.
I’ve been thinking for some time that he was getting far more credit for GSP than he actually deserves compared to Firas.
Sweet Scientist - January 21, 2012
Firas is the man
Donaher is there too, Jackson is an out of main camp fresh perspective/opinion to bestow gameplan thoughts.
The Midge - January 22, 2012
I don't think anyone gives Jackson much credit for GSP's success
GSP often doesn’t even follow his advice. In the strategy-laden second BJ fight, when Jackson said “kickbox him for a round”, GSP went for GnP. Then in the Hardy fight, after which people were keen on saying Jackson made GSP boring, he was telling GSP to stack Hardy from guard and rain down punches, and it worked the couple times that GSP tried, but he didn’t do it much beyond that and kept subbornly chasing the submission.
I think Jackson’s crowning achievements are in the lesser guys. With Jardine, his coaching and strategy was able to take one of the least naturally talented fighters ever in the UFC, IMO, and get huge wins. His theatrics apparently got Condit’s aggression up for the third round of the Rory McDonald fight. He really helped Guillard get his game together, too.
paythefighters - January 22, 2012
GSP said he's never trained with Condit
Hardly a “team mate”
YPG - January 21, 2012
I get it, you guys hate jokes.
Hendo_One-Shot - January 21, 2012
If it makes you feel any better, i always chuckle at the "GSP is exposed" jokes.
Magaca - January 21, 2012
I laugh at every BE meme
GSP is exposed, GSP is ME, LETS MUTHERFUKERS, I am no Michael Bisping, 8/12 is 80%, Northern English spelling, Waking up in train yards, all of it. More if it is at the expense of Cabbage.
Andy Anderson - January 21, 2012
Never got the one with the trainyards.
Magaca - January 22, 2012
gsp "hating" diaz is very unlikely. I doubt it., it's more gsp is pissed about diaz.
Rampage01 - January 21, 2012
Not even that
Probably more of a mild dislike of hime
Full Mount - January 21, 2012
they actually like each other
they’d love to be locked inside the octagon
Guruhonza - January 21, 2012
Does Brazil get all the fuel/fx/fox stuff?
sklart - January 21, 2012
This whole thing about GSP´s wolverine like regenerative superpowers
It sounds exactly like the same bs, that was spewed about Brock Lesnars health and abilities, in his comeback fight against Alastair Overreem. I hope that GSP is doing well, but fighting 6 months after an ACL replacement surgery at the highest echelon of fighting, I find it hard to believe at best. When all is said and done about this topic…
WAR DIAZ !
Hugin - January 21, 2012
He's also a high level athlete
Stuff like that isn’t uncommon among that type of person.
HaterSlayer - January 21, 2012
It really is
No one tries to return to competition 6 months after an ACL tear.
TheFilt - January 21, 2012
Pretty uncommon if he actually returns as good as he was
jhf884 - January 21, 2012
On the other hand
GSP doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who will go into a fight with a bum knee. He was guessing November before, so if he fights sooner, then it’s pretty safe to say that his knee is almost perfect.
paythefighters - January 22, 2012
Anyone else see the value in no ppv in march?
Could mean one or two less ppv’s to buy this year, which could lead to more cards with two title fights.
kreally - January 21, 2012
GSP just doen't understand Diaz. Diaz isn't a bad guy.
J_Maddux - January 21, 2012
Its Dana talking
I heard Georges say the same thing in an interview recently.
TheFilt - January 21, 2012
OOOOH GOOOOOOOD
THEY TRIED TI GET PAUL HARRIS V MAIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Midge - January 22, 2012
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