Dana White To "Blow People's Minds" With An Announcement

Fozzy

Dana White did an interview this week with ESPN discussing UFC 85 and the EXC show this past Saturday. He also said that he'll be making a huge announcement next Thursday: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3427527

Get a load of Dana White's schedule this week. The UFC president spent two days in New York on business, then flew right to London for this weekend's pay per view. Then he's flying back to New York for more meetings. "It's a little crazy right now," he says with a laugh. "But in a good way. This sport is blowing up."

The Mag caught up with him for a wide-ranging question and answer session about everything from this weekend's pay-per-view to Kimbo Slice. He couldn't answer some questions about pending deals (including an announcement he's planning for next week, an announcement he says will rock the MMA world). Other questions, such as his thoughts on Slice, he had plenty to say.

The Mag: Let's start with the main event this weekend, Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves.

DW: Interesting fight. Hughes is the most dominant welterweight champion ever. After the two losses to Georges St.-Pierre, people are wondering where he's at. He's been so dominant with his wrestling, but Thiago has looked good lately with his takedown defense and his standup is brutal. Hughes is either going to take a step forward and say, 'I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere.' Or Alves will say, 'No, I'm the guy now.' It's going to be a fun fight.

The Mag: I heard Hughes say the other day that, win or lose, he's definitely going to fight Matt Serra next. True?

DW: Those two want to fight. Serra told me before the GSP fight that he wants Hughes next. There's nothing like two fighters at their levels when they want to fight just because they don't like each other. That's never not fun. I think we'll make that fight for the fall.

The Mag: And break down this weekend's Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick fight.

DW: A lot of people are pumped up about this one. Davis is on a tear and Swick is coming off one of the only boring fights he's ever had. Swick is not happy about that, and I've been busting his chops ever since then. I think he's going to come out like a mad man.

The Mag: If Davis beats Swick, that has to put him at the top of the list to fight GSP.

DW: If he wins, that's huge. He's in the food chain for a title shot, no doubt about it.

The Mag: What will BJ Penn do: stay at 155 or move up to 170 for a rematch with St.-Pierre?

DW: BJ has become one of the most well-rounded, most amazing fighters I've ever met. He used to be just a jiu-jitsu guy. Now his wrestling is second-to-none. His standup is (freaking) amazing. Even boxing guys say they like his hands. The kid is unbelievable. The only thing he lacked was so he was so (freaking) good, so talented, that he always came up with these crazy schemes to move up to heavyweight and do all this crazy stuff. It took years to reel him in and convince him to focus on being a 155-pounder. This kid is so focused and fired up right now. It's going to be fun to see what he does.

The Mag: So what do you think he will do?

DW: Penn against GSP is a huge fight. I think that fight needs to happen.

The Mag: How do you feel about those kind of superfights between different weight classes?

DW: I don't like it. I like guys to stay at their weight classes and dominate. I don't want guys moving up and down.

The Mag: So the dream matchup of Anderson Silva against GSP, maybe at a catch weight…

DW: Don't hold your breath on that one.

The Mag: Who will Chuck fight in September?

DW: The fight is going to be in Atlanta, Georgia—that's something we haven't said publicly yet. There's something no one else has heard. You have no idea some of the stuff that we have planned. I'm going to make an announcement next week that is going to blow people's minds. That deal is done, but my employees don't even know yet. I'm renting out a place next Thursday and I'm going to tell them. Then we'll make the announcement later that day. It's an indicator of where this business is going over the next five years. I gotta tell you, I was very, very disappointed in ESPN this past weekend. A 15-minute feature on SportsCenter about Kimbo Slice? That is embarrassing. It's so bad I can't even tell you. Then that show goes off. That guy he fought is a joke, and he went three rounds with Kimbo in a fight that shouldn't have been stopped. When the major media outlets would rather follow freak shows instead of real athletes, it's embarrassing. It just makes my life and job a whole lot harder. It's already been exposed. But getting that kind of coverage on ESPN, and BJ Penn doesn't? Everybody is so obsessed over who's going to take a chunk out of the UFC that those guys will get this kind of press coverage for no reason whatsoever. I think the show that happened on CBS the other day was a complete embarrassment for CBS and for the sport of mixed-martial arts. Urijah Faber is 145 pounds. He'll beat Kimbo Slice. Kimbo Slice sucks. He's terrible. If I had a heavyweight The Ultimate Fighter show, I don't think he'd win the show. And he's headlining a show on CBS?

The Mag: But if the Elite XC card is an embarrassment, aren't you and the UFC winners?

DW: We put on fights between the best fighters; we don't put on freak shows. Even in the dark days, when we were bleeding money, we could have gone out and found a freak show. I could be on CBS right now, but I'm not going to make a crappy deal. We're in this thing for all the right reasons. Now people are out there trying to cash in. The reality is, everything about that show sucked, but they created some brand confusion. A lot of people thought they were tuning in to the UFC that night. What does that do to me? For you to say that I walked away as a winner, I completely disagree. I lost that night.

The Mag: Don't you feel like in the long run, this is a step forward for MMA?

DW: It doesn't feel like it right now. Everybody thought Kimbo could fight—until Saturday night. He knocked out 50-year-old Tank Abbott and all of a sudden everybody thought he could fight? Most of the people who follow him are 16-year-olds on the Internet that don't know a thing about fighting. Listen, I don't want Kimbo showing up in my back yard wanting to fight. If he's in a backyard streetfight, he's a tough guy. I'll give him that. But this is a real sport with real athletes. He wouldn't last 13 seconds on our reality show.

The Mag: How did the WEC show from the following day compare?

DW: That's what the sport is all about—two guys at their weight class, Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber, who are the best in the world. Not just one guy in a backyard with a crazy beard. Everything we do is the best against the best.

The Mag: I spoke with Urijah Faber last week, and he said he'd be willing to go up to 155 and move to the UFC. How would you feel about that?

DW: I don't know if I want to see that. He's so small. I don't know how he'd do at 155. He's so talented at that weight, and he doesn't even have to cut to make it. That fight lived up to the hype. The place was legitimately sold out, with the best fighters in the world. He should stay at 145 and become a superstar.

The Mag: There's been a lot written and discussed lately about the UFC trimming its roster. Where was the roster at, where is it now, and where is it heading?

DW: Right now, we're at about 180 fighters. Before, we had 250. I like that number, 180. As long as we have enough fighters and fight cards to keep everybody fighting three times a year, that's where I want our roster to be.

The Mag: Much has also been made about fighters' pay, especially after Tito Ortiz's comments trashing you and the UFC for not paying guys enough. What are your feelings about salaries for your guys?

DW: Everybody thinks these guys don't make good money. But they make a lot of money—a lot. I don't like talking about pay. But the stars make millions of dollars, and the lesser-known guys do fine, too. Why are we the only organization that gets asked about that? Our guys do better than fighters anywhere else. People are popping up left and right and throwing money around, but that's proven to be a terrible business model. What good does it do for a guy to make $100,000 for one fight, and then the promotion goes under? Guys do all right with their basic salaries, and then we do a lot of bonuses that other promoters don't do. At our last pay-per-view, we gave out three $75,000 bonuses for great fights. Who else does that?

The Mag: Of the 180 fighters on the roster, what percentage of them make more than $50,000 a year?

DW: Tons make that, and most make a lot more. I'd say a huge percentage.

The Mag: Would you say 75 percent of your guys—of the 180 on the roster—make that or better?

DW: Easily 75 percent. Probably more than 75 percent.

The Mag: In the recent Rolling Stone story, and in other interviews, you've said you don't want to stick around once this business isn't fun any more. With the Tito ordeal, and the lawsuits and trouble with Randy Couture, and other promotions popping up, are you still having fun?

DW: It still is a lot of fun for me. There's so much left to do. People talk about how big this sport is right now. But we still have so much room to grow. I have a road map for where this is going, and we're not even close to that place yet. In the next 10 years, MMA will be the biggest sport on the planet.

The Mag: Where is the sport going? Are you talking about it going international?

DW: Yes, this sport is going international. I think it's going to be the first world-wide pay-per-view company. Right now, we're in 170 countries either on PPV or free TV. In the next five years, we're going to take live events all over the world.

The Mag: When was the last time you spoke with Randy Couture?

DW: I talked to him at the last PPV, when he cornered Wanderlei Silva. I said, 'Hey, what's up?' And he was very cool. I like Randy. He had the problem with me. I hate Tito Ortiz, but I don't hate Randy.

The Mag: What are the chances that Randy fights again in the UFC?

DW: Better than zero. There's still a chance. We're still in litigation with him. But I could see us putting everything behind us some day. I don't know what will happen. But if we could patch things up, I'd put him in The Octagon in a heart beat. All I care about in this business is putting great fights on. If I can get Randy back, I would.

So, any ideas on what it is? If he's actually renting out a place to tell the employees then it's got to be big news. My instinct says a network tv deal. Considering how well EXC did, the UFC could do amazingly well and really raise the profile of MMA

cowzerp

At every UFC Dana has something to blow peoples minds!
maybe he's going to come out of the closet or something...
maybe there bringing Hulk Hogan in against Tyson or something!!

burtyburr

I knew it. I just Knew it. They all said I was mad but who is laughing now! The UFC is coming to Bantry! Yipee

goo

They're going to be on some American channel, but I don't understand American tv very much.
Andy Silva at 205.

Vince135792003

goo wrote: »

They're going to be on some American channel, but I don't understand American tv very much.
.

I listened to a press conference Dana did yesterday and I'm 95% sure he denied it was a tv deal. He said to the journalists something along the lines "You'll never guess what it is in a million years"

GBX

Maybe he's gonna get in the cage with Joe Rogan??

goo

Vince135792003 wrote: »

I listened to a press conference Dana did yesterday and I'm 95% sure he denied it was a tv deal. He said to the journalists something along the lines "You'll never guess what it is in a million years"

I'm not sure that's the announcement, I just think its definitely going to happen.

Pride Fighter

Rumour has it he is going to have Anderson Silva fight against Chuck Liddell at a 200lb catchweight.

goo

goo wrote: »

Andy Silva at 205.

I can't remember where he said it was happening, but Dana announced that Chuck's next fight is September. I would love to see Chuck v Anderson or Chuck v Shogun...not so much Chuck v Rashad. People are still talking about that fight.

Fozzy

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Rumour has it he is going to have Anderson Silva fight against Chuck Liddell at a 200lb catchweight.

It looks like that might happen (although I have no idea why they'd want it at the moment) but do they really need to rent out a building to inform employees about that?

goo

Whatever it is there's no way he needed to book a place to tell staff. But that won't be the announcement AND its a great time for Chuck / Anderson because its a huge fight, there's no obvious fights for Anderson right now except Okami which won't sell and it'll be fairly soon after the Rampage/Griffin fight so its perfect timing before a massive LHW title shot at New Year's.
I think its more likely this won't be at a catch weight, so that the winner can stroll straight in to a title shot at 205.

Valmont

I think it will be that they're having a show in New York City. It said he was going to all these business meetings there, probably with the athletic commision. Maybe they're going to legalise it.

Fozzy

There's rumours going around at the moment that this big announcement will be that Floyd Mayweather has signed with the UFC. As far as I can tell though, the initial report came from a pro wrestling news site. There's only really three or four credible wrestling news sites so until one of them reports it I wouldn't put any stock in it. Just pointing out the high possibility of it being untrue in case an MMA or boxing site picks up on it without knowing the credibility of the source

goo

I read that somewhere, I think it was Sam Caplan writing about it, but he was just thinking out loud I think - he said it himself, Mayweather's tiny and has those fragile hands. He's pulled out of the De La Hoya rematch though, so he might be up to something...I just doubt its an entry in to mma.

Fozzy

Apparently there's not much chance at all of Anderson moving to 205 anytime soon. So I hear!

Id second that NYC idea. there was a rumour going around that theyd signed Mayweather but I highly doubt that.

NYC deal, TV deal or a superfight.... probably option A.

ryoishin

Yeah I agree NYC sounds most plausable.

Maybe hes signed Rickson, doubt it though.

Fozzy

A New York show doesn't seem to fit Dana's description though. I mean, it's been well publicised that New York are going through the motions to legalise MMA and that the UFC really want to do a show there. But Dana said that his announcement is "totally out of leftfield"

Maybe Dana's just over-exaggerating. The one promoter who he's never said a bad word about is Vince McMahon, so maybe he's taking a leaf out of his book and just completely blowing it out of proportion

Fozzy

Fozzy wrote: »

The one promoter who he's never said a bad word about is Vince McMahon, so maybe he's taking a leaf out of his book and just completely blowing it out of proportion

Maybe Dana is the "higher power"

dunkamania

I think Anderson's next fight will be at 205, and probably against Liddell. I doubt this is the "big announcement" though.

In my mind it should be a TV deal or Maywether or Coutoure vs Fedor, otherwise its just Dana messing with us again.

Of course Maywether would be fighting under WEC weight limits, and only after min 12 months mma training so that doesnt seem likely.

Couture vs Fedor seems so unlikely in the UFC at this point, I dont know why I mentioned it

goo

Dana specifically said its something that will effect (is that the word he used?) the direction the sport goes in for the next five years. Other than changing how you watch it I've no idea what he could mean. He's making the announcement on Thursday, is that right?

Killme00

goo wrote: »

Dana specifically said its something that will effect (is that the word he used?) the direction the sport goes in for the next five years. Other than changing how you watch it I've no idea what he could mean. He's making the announcement on Thursday, is that right?

Heavyweight Gran Prix

ryoishin

Olympic campain!

Killme00

Is it beyond the realms of possibility that they could be about to announce a divison for women, possibly with an ultimate fighter for women first.

Killme00

Killme00 wrote: »

Is it beyond the realms of possibility that they could be about to announce a divison for women, possibly with an ultimate fighter for women first.

I very much doubt that. Dana has said on many occassions that he has no plans to get into womens MMA. He's not a fan by all accounts.

Judomad

featherweight division???????

goo

Killme00 wrote: »

Is it beyond the realms of possibility that they could be about to announce a divison for women.

Yes

Judomad wrote: »

featherweight division???????

No

I'm sure if he could turn a profit Dana would have girls on the cards but that's probably a good bit off unless one is Gina. No way there's going to be fights at 145 in the UFC unless America can produce a few more solid stars.

Fozzy

goo wrote: »

I'm sure if he could turn a profit Dana would have girls on the cards but that's probably a good bit off unless one is Gina. No way there's going to be fights at 145 in the UFC unless America can produce a few more solid stars.

It would sort of kill the WEC too. Dana's talked about moving the lightweight division to WEC in the future, so it's very unlikely that they'll do the opposite

Sean Quagmire

Strong rumour has it that Dana has sold out to the FOX network.
another ermm, 'great' anouncment from Dana

dunkamania

From martialfarts...


1.The UFC has acquired the intellectual property rights to the punch, the armbar, bow ties, and wrestling, meaning that anybody found engaging in punching, armbarring, wrestling or wearing bow ties without the prior written consent of Zuffa LLC will be required to cease and desist or face being sued so hard their hair and/or teeth will fall out.
2.The grand opening of “UFC Land”, a theme park based on Ultimate Fighting. Located in Zagreb, Croatia (which was demolished specifically for the project). The park will feature rides such as “The Crushinator”, “Sir Punchalot”, “Let’s Get It On–In Space”, “Clay Guida’s Hair Maze”, “Escape from Mount Tito”, “Steroid Scramble” and many more.
3.The creation of a women’s division with a twist! Competitors are restricted to men wearing makeup and sports bras stuffed with tissue paper, wearing 28oz gloves.
4.In a miracle of modern science, Dana White is pregnant with the Fertittas’ baby. They are very happy with the news and plan on calling him “Marvin P. Ultimator”, with the P apparently standing for Punch. No word yet on how angry the Fertittas will be when the baby is born with a mohawk and a beer belly and Dana grins sheepishly at them while Chuck Liddell bangs on the delivery room window with a tear in his eye yelling “Give me back my baby, give me back my baaaaby”
5.An incredible new twist for the Ultimate Fighter Reality show… each competitor will have an explosive neck brace attached to them which will detonate when the wearer says any one of a dozen randomly selected “Death Words”. Competitors fight for control of the “Death Button” which causes instant and gory decapitation of the fighter of their choice. Plus, the TUF house will have a basement!!!
6.Anybody wearing a moustache (fake or genuine) will be denied entry from UFC events, unless they are a card carrying member of the Facial Hair Union of America.

I would be betting on A Fox TV deal myself or a WWE deal

Vince135792003

Vince McMahon is scheduling a press conference for the very same day in New York. Could mean nothing. Could mean something.

septern

could mean something alright..........

rumors going around that a group of investors led by Dana White have agreed to buy the UFC from Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.
WWE's Vince McMahon is one of the group and will now own a minority stake in the company.

also rumoured that with the help of McMahon, who has extensive connections in the New York State Athletic Commission, they were able to get the UFC sanctioned in New York

Dragan

People seem to be really hinging on McMahon involvment. Personally i am undecided on whether it would be a good or a bad thing. I mean, he has done great things numbers wise with his own business, and the man knows how to promote.

By the looks of it its looking more and more likely to be Vince McMahon merger alright.

Nothingcompares

jesus christ.

Fozzy

I really don't think that it'll be any sort of WWE deal. As much as Dana admires Vince and how WWE performs as a business, he's got to know how much many MMA fans look down on pro wrestling. As soon as there's any involvement like that people will start questioning if fights are worked and stuff like that

The Wrestling Observer commented on the possibility of a network tv deal, saying that it's usually impossible to keep deals like that quiet. Nothing with any substance has come out about that, so it looks very unlikely

The UFC being sold could be possible I think. I don't know of any rumoured buyers though

EDIT: I think the WWE press conference is just to publicise WWE giving away a million dollars every week

My top guess now would be some sort of international expansion by the UFC

Raze_them_all

I don't see how it can be about the UFC getting sold, mainly because Dana said it'd outline where the sport was going in the next 5 years, UFC going into Japan maybe??? filling the void left by Pride??

goo

That void is being quietly filled by Dream. Selling or making a deal with a network channel like Fox would absolutely change the direction of the sport, in Dana-speak at least.

Vince135792003

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/6ff3f99708dc6e61e7e9a440bd976b1c.htm

Jakks Pacific signs four-year Ultimate Fighting license to develop action figure line

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. said Tuesday it has signed a four-year license agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization to develop a line of collector-focused action figures.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The new UFC product line is expected to launch next year. It will feature figures of UFC fighters Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, Brock Lesnar, Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira, Michael "The Count" Bisping and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, among others.

The license also includes the UFC Octagon and other role-play items. Top of page

Again, it's probably completely unrelated but I'm just throwing it out there.

Fozzy

The announcement might be made soon. Dana and Brock Lesnar will be on tv to make some sort of announcement. I'd say it'll just be the action figures thing and there'll be something else on Thursday

http://mmajunkie.com/news/4538/dana-white-on-cnbc-today-big-news-finally-revealed.mma

UFC president Dana White and UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar are scheduled to appear today on CNBC's "Power Lunch."

The segment begins at 12:40 p.m., and according to UFC.com, the duo will announce "an exciting new UFC deal."

Of course, the media booking has led to speculation that the UFC executive will finally reveal details of the "major announcement" he first hinted at during a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) now has some details of what that announcement could entail.

When White first spoke of the big announcement, he said he was going to reveal it on Thursday this week in front of Zuffa LLC employees. We don't know if he's preempting that announcement with today's "Power Lunch" segment. It could be two completely deals, for all we know.

However, since White first promised the big announcement, we've been looking for answers about what it might entail.

We'll have a recap of the "Power Lunch" segment posted later today, but for now, this is what we've heard:

It could be a merchandising/licensing initiative

Late last night we heard from a source close to the UFC that the news may center on some type of merchandising or licensing deal that could benefit the organization's fighters and open new revenue streams. The addition of Lesnar in today's media appearance is peculiar. He's a former superstar with World Wrestling Entertainment, a company that's developed numerous merchandise outlets to rake in millions upon millions of dollars. It's worth noting that, like the UFC, the WWE also has a press conference planned for Thursday.

The UFC could be sold or restructured

There's been a lot of speculation about a possible change or restructuring to the UFC's ownership group. We've heard a variety of rumors along these lines, but getting confirmation has led to one dead end after another. However, MMAPayout.com has learned something quite interesting in these regards: "Financial giant Morgan Stanley has reportedly been working on a collaborative/financial deal between Zuffa and another party." MMAPayout.com also hints that the WWE may be part of a merchandising or licensing deal with the UFC.

It could involve Chuck Liddell vs. Anderson Silva

A reliable source tells MMAjunkie.com that the UFC is working toward a possible September pay-per-view main event between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. In fact, the source tells us that the fight -- which would likely take place at the UFC 88 Atlanta event we talked about last week -- has been pitched to both fighters, Liddell wants it, Silva wants it, but Silva's camp isn't completely sold on the idea. Regardless, though, it doesn't appear the announcement revolves around this potential blockbuster of a main event. That could be an announcement for a later time.

It doesn't involve a network-TV deal

Although the UFC may be moving forward on a network television deal (FOX and ABC/ESPN are believed to be the leading candidates), White has already publicly stated that the announcement has nothing to do with the UFC possibly landing such a deal.

It doesn't involve Floyd Mayweather

Despite persistent rumors that the announcement will center on Mayweather's involvement with the UFC -- with the boxer even potentially owning a piece of the UFC -- that rumors appear to be completely untrue. We're told that UFC officials never really had any interest in bringing Mayweather into the organization, and publicly, White has recently scoffed at the notion they're interested.

(UPDATE: Or maybe today's announcement is simply a dud, such as the release of new UFC action figures. Perhaps the big news will have to wait until Thursday.)

Nothingcompares

I hope it's those figures, I loved the wrestling ones.

dunkamania

Have CNBC in the office, will update presently

Just over

No to Merywether,
Noto FOx,
No to WWE,
No to going public

Let the rumour mill re-commence

Vince135792003

dunkamania wrote: »

Have CNBC in the office, will update presently

Just over

No to Merywether,
Noto FOx,
No to WWE,
No to going public

Let the rumour mill re-commence

It can only be one thing: Dana, sick of the way WWE has treated tag teams over the last 5 years is setting up an MMA tag team division in the UFC! My hunch is Wanderlei/Rua against Demolition to crown the inaugural champs.


Seriously though, I can't think of anything the UFC could announce that could live up to this buildup.

Fozzy

Vince135792003 wrote: »

It can only be one thing: Dana, sick of the way WWE has treated tag teams over the last 5 years is setting up an MMA tag team division in the UFC! My hunch is Wanderlei/Rua against Demolition to crown the inaugural champs.

I was actually watching a tag team MMA match a while ago: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bxqg_zst-yano-and-imanari-vs-morkevicius_extreme So it wouldn't be unprecedented!

Vince135792003

The wait goes on:

www.wrestlingobserver.com

--The announcement today of the UFC action figures deal with Jakks is not the big announcement that has been teased all week. According to the UFC, that announcement will be made a week from today, and not on Thursday.

Fozzy

Vince135792003 wrote: »

The wait goes on:

I can't wait that long!

Fozzy

It's been reported that the announcement was due to be the legalisation of MMA in New York, but it was voted on today and it was turned down in "overwhelming fashion"

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2008/06/11/5-oz-exclusive-ufcs-huge-announcement-revealed-plans-new-york-regulation-delayed/

FiveOuncesOfPain.com was informed by an anonymous source earlier this afternoon that the committee for Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development of New York held a vote on Wednesday to decide whether the state should regulate Mixed Martial Arts.

According to the source, the bill was voted down in overwhelming fashion.

An anonymous member of a major state athletic commission confirmed the information that was provided to Five Ounces Of Pain by our initial source.

This web site has also learned that the possible legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in the state of New York was the planned announcement that UFC president Dana White had hinted at during an interview that was published on ESPN.com last week.

According to a source, White was confident that the vote was going to pass and believed he had assurances that the proposed bill would be approved by the committee for Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development of New York. However, the proposal was unexpectedly voted down for reasons that are not yet clear. In a strange turn of events, it is believed that the chair of the committee, Assemblyman Steve Englebright, who introduced the proposal, ended up voting against it.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported earlier that White’s major announcement, which had been planned for Thursday, had been moved to Tuesday. According to a third anonymous source, the vote for the MMA bill was conducted towards the tail end of session earlier today.

The bill was not passed in large part because of opposition from both sides. However, according to our source, a republican committee member “picked up the bill” and applied pressure after the session to have the vote passed. In another unusual development, several committee members, primarily republican but also a few democrat, attempted to change their vote.

Because of the attempt to change votes, it was decided that the bill will be placed on the agenda again early next week. Such a decision to put a bill back on the agenda so quickly after it had been voted down was described as “highly irregular.”

As it stands, it’s still possible that White will be able to make his huge announcement as planned on Tuesday as there has been a major swing in support for the bill.

Sounds a bit strange

Clive

I've heard that Dana has put together a consortium that are going to buy the UFC from the Fertittas.

Part of the rumoured consortium is none of than Vince McMahon, of the WWE - who is known to have influence with the New York athletic commission.

I have no idea how true that is though

Fozzy

Clive wrote: »

I've heard that Dana has put together a consortium that are going to buy the UFC from the Fertittas.

Part of the rumoured consortium is none of than Vince McMahon, of the WWE - who is known to have influence with the New York athletic commission.

I have no idea how true that is though

Dana was on tv yesterday and said that there's not going to be any involvement with WWE

FiannaGym.com

The latest is that the UFC will be on HBO, which isn't considered a "television" "network", apparently.

Peace

Fozzy

Bit from the Wrestling Observer about the New York regulation voting:

Apparently the New York Tourism Committee hearing regarding voting on allowing MMA in New York today was a complete embarrassment. The politicians had no idea what MMA was, with many asking if there was even a referee in the matches. The bill would have been rubber stamped except one member went on a tirade about it being human cockfighting and virtually nobody had any idea what it was. It was the victim of UFC not reaching the older generation, and they were the ones in that room.

EDIT: And another bit:

Oliver Copp reported that Dana White denied to him and other reporters in London that the big surprise was going to be regulation in New York. He was openly talking about New York regulation to people. He also told Kevin Iole and Neil Davidson how it was something he has to tell his employees first, and obviously running MSG wouldn't fit into that category.