| Elite XC’s Gary Shaw does not care for Dana White too much! |
from the Baltimore Sun
EliteXC vs. UFC
I recently interviewed UFC President Dana White. During the interview, White was not especially kind to your league, calling it a "rinky-dink upstart" and saying EliteXC doesn’t "even really exist." Given his comments, why do you think you can compete with the UFC for fans and fighters?
Well, let me talk a little about Dana White first. I happen to know [Station Casinos President and UFC co-owner] Lorenzo Fertitta very well — his boss — and Marc Ratner [UFC’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs], who’s like a brother to me. I have a great respect for them. I have a great respect for UFC. I have a great respect for their product, their fighters, and what they’ve done. But to Dana White, I don’t throw stones. I don’t disparage anybody.
But before he [Dana White] went to work for the UFC, maybe he should tell all the fans how long he’s been doing anything professionally on his resume. And anytime that Dana White would like to match his resume against mine in the field of sports, fighting, regulatory, you can give him my email or my cell number. But, I don’t think there’s any need for that. I think if everybody works together it benefits the fans, it benefits the MMA sport. And maybe Dana White doesn’t really care about the fans or care about the sport. Maybe he only cares about the M-O-N-E-Y.
And why do I think we can compete? Because we have a three-year contract with Showtime. We’re paying fighters what they deserve to be paid. We’re out looking for new talent. And we’re looking to put on great shows. We’re looking to put on exciting shows. There are a lot of great fighters out there that have yet to be discovered. I don’t think any one organization has every great fighter. And I think that the more product that’s out there, the better it is.
You don’t have one boxing promoter. See, what Dana White is not focusing on is that there’s not just one boxing promoter. It’s not just Gary Shaw Productions. But there’s Bob Arum and Top Rank, there’s Don King. You know, there’s a lot of different promoters that have a lot of different fighters and that’s what makes it exciting. But why he only wants it for the UFC — it just doesn’t make any sense. You want one and one to make three, not one and one to make two.
Do you think EliteXC, UFC and PRIDE can co-exist side-by-side for the indefinite future or do you think eventually one will have to reign supreme?
No, I don’t think anybody has to reign supreme. The only people that have to reign supreme are the athletes. And that’s the difference. In my organization, it’s all about the athletes. That’s who reigns supreme. It’s not about Gary Shaw. Nobody really cares about Gary Shaw. Nobody cares [about] what I have to say. But they do care about the fighters and they care about what the fighters have to say.
You know, in the UFC, it’s all about the UFC and Dana White. I understand he walks around with bodyguards now. I mean, I don’t get that. It should be about the fighter. It should be [about] the person that gets into that cage and puts his life on the line every fight. So, that’s what I want to do. I want to make it about the fighter.
Can we co-exist? Of course. Can three gas stations on three different corners co-exist? Are there a lot of dry-cleaners? Are there a lot of restaurants? Is there a McDonalds? Is there Burger King? Is there Mobile, a BP, an Exxon? There’s no reason why it shouldn’t. We shouldn’t be trying to knock one another off because eventually you won’t have a sport. You’ll have one organization.
But if you want to make this worldwide and you want to make it big and you want to make it gigantic, then you need to work together. Just like in boxing — everybody works together. It doesn’t mean we like one another. It doesn’t mean we’re not all trying to sign the best athletes. It won’t work with just one organization. Believe me — that’s an impossibility long-term.
| " | You know, in the UFC, it's all about the UFC and Dana White. I understand he walks around with bodyguards now. I mean, I don't get that. It should be about the fighter. It should be [about] the person that gets into that cage and puts his life on the line every fight. So, that's what I want to do. I want to make it about the fighter. |
