Dana White ticked at MGM over fight conflict

Jun 11, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; UFC president Dana White during weigh ins for UFC 263 at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

UFC president Dana White has some beef with MGM and in typical Dana White fashion, he’s letting that be known without hesitation.

On September 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, White will stage UFC 306, the first live sporting event at the Madison Square Garden-owned venue. The conflict is that two miles away at the exact same time, MGM’s T-Mobile Arena will host a super middleweight championship bout between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga.

“Canelo’s one of those guys that I respect and hey, good on [Premier Boxing Champions’s Al] Haymon,” White told ESPN on Friday . “Haymon snatched that date right away from me. The guys at MGM have done nothing but (expletive) disrespect me and the UFC for 20 years. It is what it is. Here we go.”

The T-Mobile Arena had housed four UFC pay-per-view events in each of the past two years but after PBC and Canelo reserved the September 14 date with MGM Resorts International, White was forced to pivot to The Sphere.

“PBC is thrilled to continue the more than 20-year tradition of championship boxing in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day weekend with our friends and partners, MGM Resorts and T-Mobile Arena,” a PBC spokesperson told ESPN on Friday.

“It’s even more special this year as Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, will fight Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 in what will be the sixth time the Mexican icon has celebrated the holiday weekend in Las Vegas. We wish our friends at UFC the best of luck with their event.”

MGM did not respond to White’s criticism and told ESPN they had nothing to add to PBC’s statement.

White has been vocal about the cost of hosting fights at The Sphere, revealing last month that the event had already cost them $17 million. Only a sponsorship from Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has allowed the card to move forward.

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