Dana White: UFC on free tv is paying fans back for UFC 112 fiasco
On April 10, 2010, Anderson Silva retained his UFC middleweight title in one of the most bizarre fights in the…
On April 10, 2010, Anderson Silva retained his UFC middleweight title in one of the most bizarre fights in the history of mixed martial arts, defeating Demian Maia by spending more time dancing around and taunting Maia than fighting him.
“I apologize to everybody,” Silva said after the fight. “I don’t know what got into me tonight. I wasn’t as humble as I should have been. It was just the ring rust and a little bit of everything. I’m really sorry to all you guys. I don’t know what got into me and I can guarantee the next time it won’t happen.”
Dana White went further, doing little to hide his disgust for his middleweight champion’s performance – both at cageside, which he left before the fight was over, and in the evening’s post-fight press conference.
“This was a historic event for us. The arena tonight was incredible. The energy was amazing, and to end it the way that we did was an embarrassment for me, the Fertittas, the UFC and the sport in general.”
“I apologize, and I will – I don’t know how yet – but I will make this up to the fans who bought this s— tonight.”
“I’d rather have somebody say, ‘Let’s not buy the Anderson Silva fight tonight because he knocks people out in two minutes,’ rather than, ‘He runs around like a jackass for five rounds.”
“Anderson Silva might be the first champion in history fighting on a prelim. How do you sell Anderson Silva after tonight? How do you do it? People don’t want to see that s—. I don’t want to see it. It makes me sick to my stomach.”
“I’m going to make it up to the fans – that I guarantee you,” White said. “I just don’t know how yet.”
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Ariel Helwani: UFC 112 you remember you said you were going to repay the fans?
Dana White: I was so fired up that night, I was so pissed off. But you know what? I always give back to the fans. We always put free fights on free TV.
First of all I am out there working every day to grow it, get it bigger, and give the fans more and more. It is all about the fans. I am all about hte fans.
I dont know what these guys want me to do. They want me to f—— send new cars to all of their houses with bows on them?
All I can do is keep making it bigger, and keep putting on free tv, and give them as many free fights as I can give them.
AH: So case closed?
DFW: Case closed.