The Unsung, and Outspoken, Hero of MMA

Love him or hate him, Dana White is a genius. The president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is more than outspoken, and can be more than confrontational.  But more often than not, he is also absolutely correct.   He’s been every bit as essential to the rise of his company as the #1 MMA company in the world as the actual fighters have been, and on the business side nearly all of his decisions have been right on the money.

Case in point … waiting for the right opportunity to come along to make a deal with a major network.  Everyone in the sports world knew that the UFC was the unparalleled leader in this country for MMA, yet scratched their heads as to why they continued to toil on Spike TV while pulling in unprecedented numbers on pay-per-view.  Like a viper hunting its prey, White and his bosses the Fertitta brothers were just waiting for the right time to pounce.

Back in 2008, fly-by-night promotion Elite XC (backed by the Showtime network) officially became the first MMA group to air live fights on a major network, putting on a CBS prime-time card highlighted by YouTube sensation, and overall disgrace to mixed martial arts, Kimbo Slice.  White knew that a show like this would do more harm to the sport than good, and called the rival promotion’s leap into the mainstream “disgusting”, and that even in the UFC’s darkest days they “never went the freak show route.”

He waited ... and waited.

Finally, in August of 2011 White and the UFC announced a deal to bring live fight cards to not only FOX, but the entire FOX broadcasting family (Fuel, FX, FOX Sports Net). Hit reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” slides over to FX after 14 incredibly successful seasons on Spike.  What does this mean for the average fan? More live UFC cards on regular television than ever before. More viewers exposed to a sport which can now view a marquee matchup, such as last November’s heavyweight title fight Cain Velazquez vs. Junior Dos Santos, instead of two stiffs rolled out there simply because they have a pulse, such as Elite XC’s 2008 bore-fest Paul Buentello vs. Brett Rogers.

Personally, I love the fact that I can find live or taped UFC programming nearly every night, and certainly can count on most weekends being action-packed. 

Sure, they bought out Japan’s Pride Fighting Championship (which many MMA purists deemed superior) back in 2007. They then followed that up with the purchase of their other “rival” Strikeforce in March of last year.

But Dana White and the Fertitta brothers, while gobbling up their competitors, have not lost their grand vision of constant expansion and an ever-growing (and increasingly passionate) fan base.  On April 21, they will present an awesome main event at UFC 145 when light heavyweight champ Jon “Bones” Jones defends against former training partner Rashad Evans.  This is just one premium bout the UFC has on tap for 2012, and thanks to the patience and vision of Dana White, many of them will be on free TV. Ultimately, it's the fans that win.

• Staying on the topic of MMA, #2-by-default promotion Bellator Fighting Championships has done a wonderful job of positioning itself for the future.  Many fighters on their roster, such as Ben Askren, Pat Curran and Eddie Alvarez, are now viewed as legitimate contenders in the MMA universe.  Their deal with MTV2 to air live programming every Friday night was a shrewd move that already appears to be paying dividends.  They’re not quite in the same discussion with the UFC, but they’re heading in the right direction. Plus ... they put on cards locally.  Mohegan Sun will be hosting Bellator this Friday, but if you can’t make it on such short notice they usually return every few months.  I highly suggest checking it out next time they’re in the area.

• Tebow…..Tebow….Tebow.  I normally question most moves made by the Jets, but this one takes the cake.  I have no problem with Tim Tebow from a football standpoint; his incredible run to the playoffs last season is something nobody can take away.  BUT……the Jets don’t need him.  They just signed their starting quarterback to a 5-year deal, and signed Drew Stanton to back him up just a week before the Tebow deal.  This move has owner Woody Johnson written all over it (see “Favre, Brett”).  Unless they plan on running the wildcat offense 15 times a game next year, there was no point to this trade.  Oh that’s right….the Giants just won the Super Bowl.  Can’t let them have the spotlight for too long, right Woody?

• With the Knicks fighting for the 8^th and final playoff spot in the East, losing Amar’e Stoudemire for possibly the rest of the season is a big blow.  All season he insisted he was fine, and it’s not until a disk goes flying from his back that we get the truth.  With Jeremy Lin, Carmelo Anthony, and Jared Jeffries all nursing injuries of some sort, the playoff push will certainly be an uphill battle.

• Staying on injury news, my heart breaks for Yankee reliever Joba Chamberlain.  As anybody that follows him on Twitter knows, Joba was rehabbing day and night since the winter determined to come back from Tommy John surgery ahead of schedule. He started off each morning with a positive affirmation to get him through, and last week suffered a severe and career-threatening ankle injury on a trampoline. I’ve heard many people compare him to Aaron Boone (who’s injury in 2004 led to the Yankees ultimately acquiring Alex Rodriguez), but to me there’s a big difference.  Boone was playing basketball, which was forbidden in his baseball contract.  Joba was being a good father to his son, and as a parent I can completely relate to his motivation to keep his child happy.  Here’s to a speedy and absolute recovery.