Dana White unhappy with BJ Penn’s new book
It was intended to be a perfect segue. Retain the UFC lightweight title, fly from the United Arab Emirates to…
It was intended to be a perfect segue. Retain the UFC lightweight title, fly from the United Arab Emirates to New York and kick off a successful book tour.
B.J. Penn still might move copies of Why I Fight, an autobiography co-authored by 36-year-old freelancer David Weintraub, but he’ll have to do so without the endorsement of his promoter, Dana White and the UFC.
White told SI.com that after he became aware of the book, he approached Penn and Penn family lawyer, Gary Levitt, with a question: “Why would you put out a book that is 90 percent not true?”
“I asked him why he would write lies in there and he swore to me that he didn’t write it or read it,” White said. “So did Gary. If today they are saying they didn’t say that, then I feel sorry for them.”
Penn declined to speak directly with SI.com, though he could be heard over the phone talking to Weintraub. Penn, who made it clear he hoped to avoid a fight with White, did not back away from the contents of the book.
“Dana is trying to make it seem like I wrote a book about B.J.,” said Weintraub from New York, where he joined the recently deposed UFC lightweight champion as hard copies hit shelves Tuesday. “One-hundred-percent false. All the words in that book are the words and thoughts of B.J. Penn. I’m a co-author, my job is to help him put his thoughts to words. He’s read the manuscript. The manuscript became the book.”
Asked twice to pinpoint inaccuracies in the 31-year-old Hawaiian’s tome, which was written after he and Weintraub spent over 100 hours speaking in person or via Skype, White could not.
The UFC president said he was comfortable with Penn’s response, and would not seek legal action.
“I’m happy with what he said,” White texted. “He is a fighter, not a book writer.”
“I never thought for a second that the book would be received by the UFC in a way they wouldn’t want to promote it or help B.J. I never thought it would be like that,” said Weintraub, who worked with the UFC on video projects and penned articles for UFC magazine before he said he was was let go two weeks ago based upon his participation with the book. “I thought it would be something they read, reflected upon, and looked at how they owned this company. B.J. started at the same time they bought this company.”
Weintraub worked for New Jersey-based production group Exit 9 Films, shooting behind-the-scenes material used as bonus features on UFC DVDs and webisodes on UFC.com. Exit 9 Films confirmed Weintraub’s employment, but declined to speak about business related to the UFC, which goes back to the days of SEG and Bob Meyrowitz.
Weintraub began working with the UFC in 2006, around the time Penn returned to the company after mending fences following a contentious departure to K-1 in 2004, after he stopped Matt Hughes to capture the UFC welterweight title.
That period, which is covered in the book, is one reason the Penn camp believes the UFC took exception to Why I Fight, a HarperCollins publication.
