Soulbringer320
15-01-2014, 02:31
UFC (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=news.search&phrase=UFC) president Dana White (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=news.search&phrase=Dana%20White) sat down with Sherdog Executive Editor Greg Savage (https://twitter.com/TheSavageTruth) for a wide-ranging interview on the state of the UFC in the past year and the next.
Among the topic disucussed was the potential loss to retirment of two massive PPV draws - former UFC welterweight championGeorges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/), and former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/242FF47B616AC3E5/Anderson-Silva/).
"Back in the day, everybody was going 'what are you going to do when Chuck Liddell's gone? What are you gonna do when this guy's gone, that guy's gone.'" said White, as transcribed by MMAFighting. "I mean I've been hearing this for 15 years. What do we talk about behind the scenes? Nothing. We literally don't talk about anything.
"Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) said he wanted to reti... He wants to go handle his stuff and take some time off. We haven't talked about Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) since. We haven't called Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/). We're letting Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) have his time. If Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) decides he wants to come back and fight, then he can come back and fight. If he doesn't ...
"Me and Lorenzo are flying down tomorrow to LA to see Anderson, just to go see him, because he's been injured. If Anderson Silva (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/242FF47B616AC3E5/Anderson-Silva/)never wants to fight again, that's up to him."
Not only was White unshaken about a future without St-Pierre and Silva, he said the last year was the best ever for professional fighters, and not just because there are more shows.
"If you talk to the fighters, you know people want to talk about pay-per-view numbers are down, this, that and everything else," said White as transcribed by B/R. "These fighters made more money this year than they ever f---ing made in the history of the sport.
"It’s per fight. We may have way more fights going on, but Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) fought twice, Anderson Silva (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/242FF47B616AC3E5/Anderson-Silva/) fought twice. This year, Chris Weidman will fight twice. It’s not like these guys are fighting four or five times a year. You got guys who have come back to back like Faber. Faber is gonna fight five times in the last 11 months and a couple of cases like that. But guys have never made more money, there’s never been more money in the sport than there is now, and it’s never been bigger in North America or anywhere else in the world.
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/440908/White-talks-about-the-UFC-if-GSP-and-Anderson-Silva-retire/
Among the topic disucussed was the potential loss to retirment of two massive PPV draws - former UFC welterweight championGeorges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/), and former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/242FF47B616AC3E5/Anderson-Silva/).
"Back in the day, everybody was going 'what are you going to do when Chuck Liddell's gone? What are you gonna do when this guy's gone, that guy's gone.'" said White, as transcribed by MMAFighting. "I mean I've been hearing this for 15 years. What do we talk about behind the scenes? Nothing. We literally don't talk about anything.
"Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) said he wanted to reti... He wants to go handle his stuff and take some time off. We haven't talked about Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) since. We haven't called Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/). We're letting Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) have his time. If Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) decides he wants to come back and fight, then he can come back and fight. If he doesn't ...
"Me and Lorenzo are flying down tomorrow to LA to see Anderson, just to go see him, because he's been injured. If Anderson Silva (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/242FF47B616AC3E5/Anderson-Silva/)never wants to fight again, that's up to him."
Not only was White unshaken about a future without St-Pierre and Silva, he said the last year was the best ever for professional fighters, and not just because there are more shows.
"If you talk to the fighters, you know people want to talk about pay-per-view numbers are down, this, that and everything else," said White as transcribed by B/R. "These fighters made more money this year than they ever f---ing made in the history of the sport.
"It’s per fight. We may have way more fights going on, but Georges St-Pierre (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/9E1A4588BD05B57B/Georges-St-Pierre/) fought twice, Anderson Silva (http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/f/242FF47B616AC3E5/Anderson-Silva/) fought twice. This year, Chris Weidman will fight twice. It’s not like these guys are fighting four or five times a year. You got guys who have come back to back like Faber. Faber is gonna fight five times in the last 11 months and a couple of cases like that. But guys have never made more money, there’s never been more money in the sport than there is now, and it’s never been bigger in North America or anywhere else in the world.
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/440908/White-talks-about-the-UFC-if-GSP-and-Anderson-Silva-retire/