Dana White doesn’t have to love you to do business with you.
It always helps to get along with your boss but it hasn’t been the most necessary path to success in the UFC. Look at former light heavyweight champions Tito Ortiz and Jon Jones, for example.
While another name from that division sits atop White’s list of favorites he’s had signed to the promotion, no one beats Jones on the boss’ all-time list. He’ll let us know it any chance he gets. However, Jones’ history of problems outside the octagon, whether negotiation-based or personal, has led to some bumpiness for White. On the other hand, the tippy-top biggest stars MMA has ever seen made for different stories.
“Jon Jones and I have not had a great relationship as far as business goes,” White said on The Big Podcast. “That doesn’t twist my judgment. He is the greatest combat fighter of all time. Period. End of story. There’s not even an argument.
“My two all-time favorites, people that were the best to ever deal with and that I absolutely love, Chuck Liddell, Ronda Rousey. Ronda Rousey’s the greatest athlete I’ve ever worked with by 100 miles. Then Conor McGregor has been a great athlete to work with for me. There’s been a whole list of them.”
White has been extra aggressive with his expression of feelings towards Jones’ all-time status lately. This latest iteration of that feels like an attempt at showing no bias, which is at least a refreshing and somewhat believable change. Regardless, it’s probably no longer worth trying to change his mind.
As for someone like Rousey, the UFC boss always openly had a great relationship with his first female champion. The former bantamweight champion blazed a trail to and through the UFC and made plenty of enemies along the way. Whether it was in fellow fighters or fans, someone always had something to say about the “Rowdy” one.
Rousey recently returned to the media spotlight when promoting her new books, leading to some criticism for how she’s dealt with the end of her MMA career in 2017. Ultimately, White believes Rousey’s greatest strength was also her biggest weakness.
“Her belief in herself that she could do anything, which is what ended up being her downfall,” White said. “She ended up becoming so big and so popular that she took on so many different things at the same time. Meanwhile, all the other women in the division are just training to beat Ronda. You break Ronda down and just figure out how to beat Ronda.
“Ronda took everything on her back and carried it. She would never say no to anything. She’s one of the greatest human beings ever. I love everything about her and I loved my time that I worked with her. Not to mention the fact that she’s the one that opened my eyes to women fighting and look at what you see now when you see women fight.”
Flashback. Burt Watson finally reveals story behind UFC split in 2015
Pointing. Tom Aspinall issues fiery response to Ciryl Gane over ducking accusations
Saga. Jon Jones pleads not guilty to misdemeanor charges over alleged incident with drug testing agents, bench trial set
Comparisons. Anthony Smith sympathizes with Jon Jones over drug-tester charges: ‘Sometimes they can be assholes’
Rowdy. Matt Brown defends Ronda Rousey’s struggles to evolve, but ‘every reason turns into an excuse when you’re a fighter’
$$$. Jake Paul scoffs at Nate Diaz lawsuit, lowers offer for MMA fight: ‘Yesterday’s price is not today’s price’
Boxing. Zhilei Zhang rips Anthony Joshua for ducking him: ‘Mark my words, he’s not fighting me’
The MMA Hour.
Paul-Perry Open Workout Day.
Fans’ Top 10 UFC Upsets.
PFL Epilogue.
Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!
Because duh.
6-foot-8 heavyweight MMA fighter got exposed by a 5-foot-3 Jiu-Jitsu black belt pic.twitter.com/eEuoIhNV4S
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) July 17, 2024
Wraps.
Shenanigans.
Jake Paul’s mascot just tried to fight Mike Perry at open workouts #PaulvsPerry pic.twitter.com/0rLUVh5OMx
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) July 17, 2024
Jabs.
Tenshin Nasukawa southpaw jabs against Takeru pic.twitter.com/tHjSR1AcbW
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) July 17, 2024
GSP tricks.
"The oldest trick in the book" pic.twitter.com/CzLNoG13QX
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) July 17, 2024
Angela Hill (17-13) vs. Tabatha Ricci (10-2); UFC Vegas 96, Aug. 24
Gabriel Santos (10-2) vs. Yizha (25-4); UFC Vegas 97, Sept. 7
Machi Fukuda (4-2) vs. Morgan Manfredi (2-5); Deep Jewels 46, Sept. 8
Aya Murakami (7-2) vs. Yuko Kuryu (13-11); Deep Jewels 46, Sept. 8
Manuel Torres (15-2) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (15-5); Noche UFC, Sept. 14
Wilder did it better (worse?), sorry Perry.
Thanks for reading!
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
