“I don’t see them as competition” – Dana White once said he does not view Bellator as competition
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Dana White
Over the years, Dana White has played an important role in establishing the UFC as a global brand. Arguably the leading MMA promotion in the world, the UFC has made its presence felt in major countries around the globe. While the promotion has achieved so much success, it has also seen the rise of other promotions. One such rival promotion to the UFC is Bellator MMA.
Owned by the Paramount Group, Bellator MMA is a promotion that started in 2008. Since its existence, the promotion has put up some brilliant fights. While many competitors stood and failed against the UFC, Bellator MMA still continues on their journey to be the best.
Despite a certain section of fans seeing Bellator MMA as a rival to the UFC, Dana White does not feel threatened by them. During an interview, the UFC President once said, “It’s one of those things. Those guys, I don’t care about those guys. I don’t see them as competition whatsoever.” [H/T MMA Fighting]
Whether Dana White sees Bellator MMA as a competition or not, the emergence of rival promotions is something the UFC President probably keep tabs on. In fact, the CEO of one such rival promotion once called out White and the UFC.
Related: “The sport is such a mess,” UFC President Dana White on organizing a boxing fight
Dana White called out to agree an epic cross-promotion event
Like Bellator MMA, another promotion that serves as competition to the UFC is ONE Championship. Based in Singapore, the promotion is known to put up epic MMA, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Grappling bouts. With a massive following in Asia, ONE Championship recently made its debut on US soil with ONE on Prime Video 1.
Along with its ever growing popularity, ONE Championship is also host to many talented fighters from various countries across the globe. Ex-UFC fighters such as Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Brandon Vera, and Sage Northcutt have competed in the promotion too.
While there are many factors that have contributed to the Asian promotion’s success, ONE Championship’s CEO Chatri Sityodtong has been a major driving force too. A fearless leader, Sityodtong displayed his fearless attitude when he called out the UFC for a cross-promotion event. A post shared by ONE Championship on Twitter displayed a quote from their CEO. Sityodtong said, “I definitely would welcome a ONE vs UFC event.” The account also went on to tag Dana White and the UFC.
Despite Dana White not reacting to the call-out, the thought of a cross-promotion event between the UFC and ONE Championship is enough to get MMA fans excited. Would you like to see a cross-promotion event involving UFC and ONE Championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Varun Anand Bhat
(106 Articles Published)