Link to ESPN Video Interview at the bottom, refers to the graphic splashed on the screen showing ESPN is apparently not approving of White's comment regarding the "bitchslapping" of Couture's Hollywood agent.
After the surprise announcement that Randy Couture had quit his duties as a fighter, commentator, and ambassador to the UFC, Dana White has been scrambling in damage control mode trying to downplay his resignation, blaming Internet websites for false rumors, and taking some shots at Fedor's stance against Randy Couture. When the news came out that Randy Couture was "quitting" the UFC, Dana White made this statement:
I’m not surprised at all by Randy’s decision. I talked to Randy several weeks ago and he said that if he couldn’t fight Fedor, then he has nothing left to prove in the sport of mixed martial arts. He has been doing a lot of acting, and I know he is in South Africa right now filming a movie. I think it’s a great move for Randy’s acting career to retire from fighting while he is on top. As we all know, Randy retired before. The landscape in MMA changes every day. So when he is ready to come out of retirement again, he is still under contract with me, and I’m ready to promote him.”
At first glance, it seems like a downplay of the news that Randy Couture, the ambassador of the UFC, has quit the UFC. Fact is, Dana White is saying that Randy Couture has retired from fighting while he is on top of the UFC Heavyweight Division, arguably the best heavyweight division in the world. I'm not an English major, but I believe retirement and "quitting" are two completely different things.
The official UFC website managed to publish an interview with Dana White. In the interview, Dana seemed to take his anger that he was unable to sign Fedor and lost Randy Couture, the #1 and #2 Heavyweights in the world, out during the questioning. He stated when asked if he was surprised by Couture's resignation:
Dana White – No, I wasn’t surprised. I met with Randy several weeks ago and he said that the only thing he had left to prove in his career and the only challenge left out there for him was Fedor (Emelianenko) because everybody thinks that Fedor is the best. And Fedor has that mystique where people think he’s number one, which I don’t agree with. I think that Fedor is completely overrated – he’s fought Mark Coleman and Matt Lindland in the last year, with Mark Hunt being his only legitimate opponent - and I actually think that Randy Couture would have smashed Fedor.
We would normally blow this off as Dana's personality talking. People are entitled to their opinions. Luke Thomas over at Bloody Elbow, I mention it because I listened to him today on Mr. Sunshine Radio, has the view that Couture could beat Fedor in the cage. My view is quite different, but I respect the fight in Randy Couture and the points of people who intelligently counter my points and like to argue valid points without completely ridiculous statements. I will look into this statement further later, but the main point here is that instead of blatantly discounting Fedor's accomplishments because you were not able to sign him, concentrate more on the issue at hand.
Those are just two small issues that weigh in on a much bigger picture and become the basis of this article. White is seriously going through the stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. He may not be pushing into all of them in one day, but he has definitely shown through his various quotes in the media that he is showing signs of grief from the news. Let's run through the stages and some of the examples of what he has said and done to warrant this. We will also analyze many of the comments and throw some personal thoughts on the entire situation. Diving right in...
Denial
The first stage is the intial remark. Dana White's released statement above regarding the initial reaction to Randy Couture's resignation letter states that he thinks it is a great move for Randy's acting career to retire from fighting while he is on top. He then goes on to state that Randy has retired before. The simple fact of the matter is, Randy Couture did not retire. Of course, the initial statement has been repeated today on numerous sources. TAGG Radio today insisted that Randy Couture had retired. It would pay to read the MMA news before broadcasting a radio show with false, inaccurate news.
Fact of the matter is, Josh Gross at Sherdog was able to get an interview with Randy Couture over the phone from South Africa. A lot of people bag on Sherdog for having an overly unintelligent forum community, but the fact is, they have some great connections. Gross was able to report that it wasn't a retirement at all, it was a resignation of his position with the UFC. White still maintains even after the initial report from Gross that they wished Randy luck with his retirement and acting career.
Anger 
Once reports began to surface that Couture had a falling out with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta over being lied to about his financials in the UFC and the fact that White was unable to sign Fedor after stating it was "inevitable", White lashed out:
This business is like a beauty salon," he said. "These guys are all the toughest guys in the world, but they're like (expletives) in a beauty salon. They pass along rumors and gossip, which has no basis in reality and they believe all the (rumors) they hear. The Internet is very powerful and one of the best promotional tools we have, but it's a crazy place. "They hear these rumors and they believe them and then they get insulted like (expletives) after we try to talk reality with them. They'll say, 'Well, this guy is getting this much,' but when I ask where they heard it, it's never a contract, it's always, 'I read it on the Internet.' It's crazy."
This was all in regards to MMA websites and the Internet MMA community in general. Dana White feels that the Internet is full of rumors and inaccuracies that has caused one of the most legendary fighters in the world to run away from the UFC. Listen, we get our figures from the commissions. I don't have to use rumored pay salaries from UFC 75. We can comparatively look at each fighter's pay as I did in my last article. Liddell made $500,000 to lose to Keith Jardine. He isn't the Light Heavyweight Champion, and his performance was lackluster. He also received a cut in the pay-per-view revenue and it is perceived that he makes nearly 1.0-1.5 million dollars per fight, if not more. Couture, on the surface, probably does not make as much Obviously he wouldn't come out saying the things he has if he was. He is the UFC Heavyweight Champion though, and he won despite overwhelming underdog odds. He deserves a pay day. Don't blame the internet websites that help hype UFC cards for you for literally nothing.
There are two sides to every story though. We could technically say that Randy Couture and his management signed a lengthy contract and were locked into an amount of pay that was lower than what he should have been paid later on when he had regained the title and beaten a #1 contender. Sure, he deserves a pay raise, but he had a lengthy contract that locked him into what he was being paid. My thoughts are they he didn't predict this much success. To fight Fedor, he definitely should have been paid equally what Fedor would have been paid for the ONE fight. That's my take. I only say this because I believe that's his final fight. Give him a pay day, send him on his way, wish him luck, and we will have finally settled the Couture vs. Emelianenko debate.
The other quote I want to put under the stage of anger is his quote regarding Fedor's record and status in MMA. I'm perfectly fine with opinions. If you think Fedor shouldn't be ranked #1, great. I see the argument. I am a Fedor Emelianenko fan, but.. I do think Randy Couture should be ranked #1 based purely on the fact that he was more active. White states that Fedor hasn't fought any legitimate opponents lately, except for maybe Mark Hunt, and believes Couture would smash Fedor. That would be fine and dandy if you were promoting the Randy Couture bandwagon coming into an eventual battle at an UFC event, but stating these comments in an interview after losing the #1 and #2 heavyweights in the world makes you sound as if you are trying to downplay the matchup as not that fantastic. It was probably going to be the biggest drawing card in the history of MMA, period.
Bargaining
It seems that we will be approaching this stage very soon. I haven't seen clear evidence that he's been coming out bargaining with the fans. He has said that Couture's departure from the Heavyweight division would not hurt the UFC Heavyweight division. I think it does. Granted, Sylvia/Vera/Nogueira/Arvloski are all drawing names to different kinds of fans, but Couture was the ultimate draw. Father time vs. the next generation of fighters. That's a fight that always interested me and always amazed me when Couture came out on top. Dana may be bargaining with us in stating the division won't be any less excited, but in reality, at least for this fan, I am saddened that I won't see him in the UFC Heavyweight Division. I am excited to hopefully see Fedor vs. Couture down the line.
**UPDATE**
White has been quoted as saying in the interview at UFC.com that once he gets Couture back in town away from his Hollywood scumbag agent, he will try to work everything out. He's not sure if he will ever fight again, but he ensures they will still be friends. Bargaining. He's bargaining with us as the readers and the fans that there is hope in turning this around, as small as it is. Head to UFC.com for the full transcript.
Depression & Acceptance
I always like to compare this stage to the Fedor Emelianenko negotiation saga because toward the end, White was screaming "I don't care anymore". Simply put, after all of this is said and done and White is completely exhausted from questioning, interviews, and "Internet websites", he will start the entire campaign to tell the world he doesn't care. Eventually, he will accept the fact that Couture is now gone from the UFC and Fedor is fighting in another promotion. The only way for him to deter this path of grief is with a surprise move that could happen. He somehow swings a new deal with Couture and works to create a deal with M-1 to co-promote an event. I never see this happening because that would cause the UFC to acknowledge another promotion being out there worth mentioning. They have never done that.
Beyond the Couture exodus
After this entire debocle is over and the dust has settled, we will know two things. One, Dana White takes things personal when it comes to happenings within the UFC. He downplayed Couture's resignation and then turned it into a retirement. He then blasted the Internet web sites and MMA blogs for their false reporting even though all salary figures are posted by the commissions and Randy Couture has access to all of the fighters he mentioned in the interviews. He was called a liar, and in that capacity, it's understandable that he would be upset. I can actually see some of his reasoning behind his actions. Fact of the matter is, there is no place for it in a mainstream sport. Mainstream being something the UFC is slowly becoming.
Two, the UFC needs to make some serious changes. The biggest change is disclosing fighter bonuses and Pay-Per-View revenues that fighters pick up. Let the public know exactly what these fighters are making in order to stop rumors from ruining relationships and business. Fighters will have more of an idea of what they are making and can gauge contract negotiations based on fighters in a similar spot. It would remove the mystery. There is a great article over at MMAPayout highlighting this. If it doesn't happen voluntarily, a labor union could form and force the issue according to the article. Definitely check it out, has some great ideas and insight on the financial side of the MMA business.
Some other things that may come out of this include the fact that a few fighters may have some real negotiating power. With Couture gone, Ortiz and Arvloski, who are currently re-negotiating contracts, may be able to sign a bit more lucrative deals to strengthen the UFC's drawing power. Arvloski is needed back in the Heavyweight picture, and Ortiz, no matter what you think of him, is a magnet for pay-per-view buys. Losing a huge draw in Couture may make the UFC get Arvloski and Ortiz back as quick as possible.
Being critcal?
Maybe I am. Some of White's comments were classy. He did mention that he would always be a friend to Couture and that he respects his decision and feels Couture would be great at acting. He was a class act in the regard of sending the legend off with good things to say about him, even though Couture called him a liar. I give him that.
I won't say that I am completely against Dana White either. Although I think there are times when I completely disagree with his behavior, his decisions, and the way that he brings personal battles into the public eye. He still has managed to make the UFC what it is today. Lately however, White hasn't had any sensitivity to the events that have transpired here. He has gone on and on for so long with crude comments such as talking about "bitchslapping" Hollywood agents that are out to turn Couture's vision to the acting industry. His numerous cussing fits follow him and are now a trademark attribute. To be honest, I love a good ol' dirty word here and there, when appropriate. When you are the face of an organization and about to run into the mainstream, there is no place for it. White breaks the idea of what we see a President of a sports organization as, will he succeed in changing that idea in our minds? Doubtful.
You can love him, hate him, or shoot down the middle and not really care about him, but Dana White is a big part of the picture for the UFC. Although I don't think he will be leaving the President's chair anytime soon, he needs to cut the crap from his interviews and concentrate more on respecting Couture's legacy and moving on to figuring out the UFC Heavyweight Division, the few contract negotiations that are still ongoing, and tie up the deals internationally instead of attacking the Internet MMA fanbase.
**UPDATE**
From Joe Rogan on the Underground Forum:
I was working on UFC Wired today when I heard about it. First I thought Randy just decided to retire when he heard Fedor signed with another organization, but then after reading his quotes it obviously runs much deeper than that. I have no idea who makes what, but I do know that I’m honored to have had the chance to know Randy and I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to watch him compete. He is a very rare human being, the kind that comes along only once or twice in a lifetime. He’s one of the few people that I’ve ever come across that’s both a kind hearted, friendly, happy guy, and a furious, relentless competitor. He’s also one of the rare human beings that fully maximizes his potential in his pursuits. I sincerely hope that there’s a way that they can work all this out, but if not, all I can say is that I learned a lot just watching him perform, and I feel very fortunate to have met him.”
I love this quote. Very classy from Joe Rogan, and exactly what should have been said from the get go, and then the issue should have been left alone.
Also, ESPN ran a story regarding Couture and apparently had him on the phone. During the interview, they splashed Dana White's quote on the screen regarding the "bitchslapping" of Couture's Hollywood agent. This is looking very bad in the public eye for Dana White. He should have known this would hit him upside the head.
VIDEO HERE