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Dana White Talks Cro Cop, EA Sports, TUF and More
By Ariel Helwani
July 9, 2009
LAS VEGAS -- Dana White met with the media following Thursday's UFC 100 press conference, and as always, the UFC president had plenty of interesting things to say:
On Mirko Cro Cop's potential return to the UFC:
"I hope so. Like I said at that last press conference in Germany, he and I had a deal, and I think he's going to honor the deal. ... I have said this many times and I'll say it again: there's some crooked sh*t that goes on over in Japan. They're all crooked. There's some sneaky sh*t going on over there, and that's always a big problem, you know. These guys who are in the fight business over there, for my Mexican friends, 'No bueno. No bueno.'"
On whether Cro Cop will face Junior dos Santos at UFC 103:
"That's the fight I would like to see happen." (Although he said it wasn't a done deal yet.)
On the rumor that UFC fighters past, present or future are being prohibited by the organization from signing with the new EA Sports MMA video game:
"That sounds like me. That sounds like something I would say."
On the numbering of UFC pay-per-views:
"Thank God I didn't stop numbering. ... I tried four times to stop doing it. ... I can't wait for 200. Think about it? UFC 1000?"
On what he said to Brock Lesnar when the UFC heavyweight champion tried to leave the press conference early:
"'Sit down.' He was trying to leave the UFC 100 press conference. ... I'm telling you, nobody wants my job. Everybody thinks it looks good; it's no fun. Try telling a 400-pound guy to sit down."
On the prospect of MMA getting legalized in New York State:
"It's looking good, man. We're going to be in New York; we're going to be in New York. We're going to be everywhere, man. We're going to be all over the world. Lots of people don't want us -- they have no f***ing choice. We're going to be everywhere. This sport isn't going backwards, we're going forward."
On whether the UFC will return to Japan in the near future:
"They're going to kill me if I ever go to Japan. Why are you trying to get me over there? (Laughs) They hate me over there."
Reporter: "They're waiting for you."
White: "They're waiting for me. Yeah, they sure are."
On the competition:
"If a guy jumps in and does his business the right way, it's going to be good for everybody. I'm not anti-competition. I'm not."
On UFC 100's high pay-per-view expectations:
"If we do 1.5 million pay-per-view buys, I will do a backflip off the Mandalay Bay, and I'll live. Believe me (laughs). ... For us to do a million pay-per-view buys or anywhere near it, it's amazing."
On TUF 10:
"I'm happy with the entire season. I'm serious, as far as some of the best television we've ever done, and if you think of all the television we've done, this is some of the best television ever."
White confirmed that the Rashad Evans vs. Quinton Jackson fight in December will get the "Primetime" treatment, much like UFC 94's main event of Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn. He didn't specify how many episodes will be included in the series.
He also said that he would like to introduce a new slew of Mexican fighters through "The Ultimate Fighter" like they did this season with Team USA vs. UK.
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