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UFC president Dana White is widely regarded as one of the best promoters in the sporting world. The 51-year-old has come a long way, from being a bell boy to running a multi-billion-dollar organization.
That said, White is expected to continually make tough decisions, even if they are against the wishes of fans and his employees. As the president of the company, White's sole purpose is the UFC's development.
White, on multiple occasions, has taken match-making decisions that have stirred controversy, the most recent of which was blocking Georges St-Pierre from competing in a boxing match against Oscar De La Hoya.
From dismissing the ideas of cross-promotional fights to not allowing his under-contract employees to fight outside the promotion, Dana White has refused to budge on many occasions.
Today, we take at look three such incidents where the UFC president blocked exciting matchups outside his promotion.
#1 Dana White blocked Cris Cyborg vs. Miesha Tate grappling match
Cris Cyborg challenged Miesha Tate to a grappling match following her title defense at Bellator 249. A few days later, Tate appeared to accept Cyborg's offer:
"Hey, you know what, I accept. I would like to do it. Cris has been somebody that I kind of wish that I could have fought in my fighting career, it didn’t happen and the next best thing would be a grappling match," Tate told Sirius XM.
However, the highly-talked grappling contest never come to fruition. According to both women, it was Dana White who discarded the potential matchup rightaway.
#2 Dana White blocked Georges St-Pierre vs. Oscar De La Hoya boxing match
Co-owner of Triller Fight Club Ryan Kavanaugh recently claimed that Dana White didn't want Georges St-Pierre to fight Oscar De La Hoya in a boxing showdown.
Doubling down on Kavanaugh statements, St-Pierre later admitted that White vetoed his potential clash against the legendary boxer:
"I understand that Dana didn't want me to fight. However, it would have been fun. Because my career as a professional fighter, to become the best in the world in mixed martial arts, is done. For me, it would have been a dream come true, because he is my second favorite boxer of all time, behind Sugar Ray Leonard. Plus, a lot of the money made would have been given to charity," St-Pierre told Cinema Blend.
White's recent statements clearly reflect his disdain for Triller Fight Club. At the UFC 262 press conference, the UFC president unleashed a foul-mouthed rant against the popular boxing promotion.
#3 Dana White blocked Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. boxing match
The rumors of a boxing clash between Anderson Silva and Roy Jones Jr. were skyrocketing when 'The Spider' was at the peak of his career. Silva had already defended his UFC middleweight title on four occasions when he thought of resuming his professional boxing record.
However, Dana White paid no heed to the Brazilian's requests. Despite wanting to fight Jones Jr., Silva was forced to abide by his UFC contract. Years later, Dana White cleared the air about his reluctance in allowing the fight:
"Anderson Silva had his day. Roy Jones Jr. had his day. Today is not their day. It’s just not, these young guys that you saw fight tonight are the future," said White last year.
Now that Silva has been released from the UFC, he will go up against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a professional boxing match on June 19 of this year.
