White/UFC join fight to save Olympic wrestling
“When we heard that it was being yanked from the Olympics, that’s what I said. I said it needs to…
“When we heard that it was being yanked from the Olympics, that’s what I said. I said it needs to be more fan-friendly, it needs to be more exciting. I’ve met with a lot of the top guys in wrestling. Actually I met with them last Tuesday, and yeah, the UFC is joining the fight to help save Olympic wrestling,” White revealed during a UFC media conference call.
“Not just Olympic wrestling, but colleges are dropping wrestling now. High schools have been dropping wrestling for a long time. I’ve personally funded tons of wrestling programs, and the UFC has funded tons of wrestling programs for high school kids.”
To what extent the UFC will play a role is unknown at this time, but financial support will likely be the first step in the process. Beyond that, the UFC’s reach in terms of global recognition, advertising and social networking can only help further the cause of making sure wrestling remains in the Olympic Games well beyond 2020.