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Michael Bisping recalled the time when Dana White was supposed to take on Tito Ortiz in a boxing match. 'The Count' explained what caused the feud between the duo to escalate.
Dana White used to manage both Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He wanted more money in one of the negotiations involving the duo. However, the company in charge had nothing left at that point in time. Bisping stated:
"Dana was supposed to box the fomer light heavyweight champion of the world Tito Ortiz. This all started because Dana White used to manage Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. At one of the contract negotiations, when Dana was trying to get more money, the company that owned it at that time, SEG, they said, 'Dana, we don't have any more money.'"
Dana White eventually went to the Fertitta brothers, who had a large amount of capital and eventually bought the UFC in 2001. White became the president of the company and couldn't manage the fighters anymore. He remained friends with 'The Iceman' but his relationship with 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' went downhill.
Later, Ortiz wanted a stipulation in one of his contracts that he would take on the UFC president in a boxing match. His aim was to make a mockery of White, who took the challenge very seriously and trained rigorously. Bisping watched it firsthand, having recently joined the UFC back then. Here's what 'The Count' added:
"Dana being a lover of the sweet science, loved this idea. The problem was he was 37 years old and he was living the life of a UFC president. So, he needed some time to get into shape. And that is what he was doing. And by the way, I had signed with the UFC around this time. Let me tell you, Dana was taking this very, very seriously. He would work out wherever he could."
Watch Michael Bisping talk about Dana White vs. Tito Ortiz below:
Dana White has never been a fan of UFC fighters wanting to box
While the UFC president himself wanted to fight Ortiz, he has never been a fan of his fighters wanting to try their luck in the sport of boxing. Fans might argue that he let Conor McGregor take on Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. However, they are two superstars in their respective sports and the magnitide of that clash was in a different stratosphere. Furthermore, there was a lot of money to be made.
White recently dismissed the idea of UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez inside the ring. Another UFC superstar, heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, is willing to take on Tyson Fury in a mixed-rules fight.
Watch Tyson Fury call out Francis Ngannou:
The chances of White allowing his fighters to box while they are still under contract are slim to none. However, fans will continue to keep tabs on whether a UFC fighter makes an appearance in boxing in the near future.
