PDA

View Full Version : Dana White at War with EA sports



supra213
07-13-2009, 05:42 PM
Not sure where to really put this topic..... But it might be interesting to see who does actually sign up to be in EA's video game and risk being blacklisted by the UFC

UFC President Declares 'War' with EA Sports
Any fighter who signs on to EA's MMA game will be blacklisted from the UFC, says president.

By Kris Pigna, 07/13/2009

EA Sports MMARumors have been circulating on the 'net for a little while, but now UFC president Dana White has made his position crystal clear: he is at all-out war with Electronic Arts over the announcement of their forthcoming game, EA Sports MMA. And his main weapon? That would be the control he has over his fighters, as he has declared anyone who signs on to appear in EA's game will henceforth be blacklisted from the UFC.

"I'm not tap-dancing around this thing or whatever," White said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com (via Shacknews). "I'm telling you straight-up, I'm at war with them right now. That's how I look at it."

But what caused this brouhaha in the first place? In the interview, White insists EA started it when the company refused to treat the UFC seriously when they were first approached with the offer to make a videogame out of the immensely popular fighting league. "EA Sports told us, 'You're not a real sport. We wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this,'" White said.

That's when the UFC went to THQ, who indeed acquired the license, and just recently released UFC 2009 Undisputed. "We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a video-game deal in the worst economy in the world," White explained. "We go out there and do this thing, and it's successful, and now [expletive] EA Sports wants to do a video game. Really? That's not what you told us a year-and-a-half ago.

"You told us you'd never be in business with us," White continued. "They wouldn't even take a meeting because mixed martial arts disgusted them. This wasn't a real sport. Boy, they got over that real quick, didn't they?"

White also defended his decision to blacklist fighters who sign on to EA's game by saying it's the right decision for the league. "You know what the difference is? I'm in the mixed martial arts business. EA isn't," he said. "EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear."

Regardless, EA's MMA game is planned for release next year.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3175155

Irish
07-13-2009, 05:45 PM
If that's true, I can see where Dana is coming from.

Karps TA
07-13-2009, 06:05 PM
I'm all for anyone sticking a boot up EA Sports all mighty ass.

Crawlin
07-13-2009, 06:51 PM
That's awesome and I truly hope that it just dies and doesn't get made. Some thing EA should stay away from... any racing games, any flight simulator type games, and you know what... they should just stick with basketball, football, hockey, and golf. FUCK baseball, the BIGS was better anyways, haha.

Chris

95 TA - The Beast
07-13-2009, 08:54 PM
Actually, I hope Dana White gets his ass hung in a sling over this. The UFC is NOT in the business of producing video games. PERIOD. To blacklist a fighter because he is in a rival video game to one that is licensed from the UFC (ie, the UFC makes a money off each UFC: Undisputed title sold), then he is engaging in anti-trust level practices and in a monopolistic manner. He is saying that they cannot compete with a UFC backed endeavor. He is saying they will blacklist fighters that are in a rival software title. How is any of this NOT blackmail, not monopolistic and not in lieu of the very idea of a 'sports franchise' like the UFC?

I mean hell, the Athletic Commision could potentially get involved in regards to the lack of 'sportmanship' of the organization for pulling this shit. They could very well ban the UFC from putting on events for a given period of time.

Dana White tried 'covering the wounds' created by Brock Lesner in this last fight, and this BS of him giving Brock a 'verbal lashing' was crap as you know Brock's BS is EXACTLY what Dana White wants as it is ALL about the money for him. I am somewhat shocked the Athletic Commision isn't looking into suspending Brock or even the whole UFC for the antics displayed at thier event. That kind of shit isn't put up with in any other sport, why should it be in MMA???

Any way you look at it, Dana White is a money-grubbing scumbag cocksucker that basically doesn't give a shit about anything, not the fighters, not the fans, not the sport. Hell, Frank Mir even stated that Dana told him that if he could "sellout a venue with millions of PPVs of midgets going at it with rubber baseball bats he would, and if that was to become the future of MMA, he didn't care as long as it kept the sales up". And this guy is 'looking out' for the sport??? It also explains why Frank Mir isn't liked very much by Dana White since he was a coach on TUF. Mir earned a lot of respect from me after he did that interview when he was done being a coach and called out all the UFC BS in regards to TUF.

Exitspeed
07-14-2009, 09:56 AM
^
I disagree with you on that. I think a lot of those "quotes" are taken out of context and you're hearing just one side.

I say fuck EA. I've been anti EM ever since they bought the exclusive rights to the NFL. It's just not good for video games.

But I guess I'm over it now though cause I just bought Tiger Woods 2010.

07ROUSHSTG3
07-14-2009, 10:13 AM
if what dana white is saying is true, i think he has a good point.

and yeah, i hated to see EA get the NFL exclusive contract, but what i hated more was when they ruined the "bond" series.

Exitspeed
07-14-2009, 10:17 AM
The other thing that doesn't jive with Dana White saying stuff like "sellout a venue with millions of PPVs of midgets going at it with rubber baseball bats he would, and if that was to become the future of MMA, he didn't care as long as it kept the sales up" why would he even bother cussing out Hendo and Lesner for their actions? I mean if he said that then that's what he would be going for. Again, that's just why I'm skeptical of him saying that kinda stuff.

95 TA - The Beast
07-14-2009, 12:14 PM
The other thing that doesn't jive with Dana White saying stuff like "sellout a venue with millions of PPVs of midgets going at it with rubber baseball bats he would, and if that was to become the future of MMA, he didn't care as long as it kept the sales up" why would he even bother cussing out Hendo and Lesner for their actions? I mean if he said that then that's what he would be going for. Again, that's just why I'm skeptical of him saying that kinda stuff.

He "said" he bitched them out because of self-preservation. If the Athletic Commission wanted to come down on the UFC for 'unsportsman-like conduct' they could. Hell, they could suspend the UFC from holding events. Dana White is a money grubbing fuckbag. Look at the fights he sets up with *his* favorites, Chuck Liddell being one of them. He sets of easy fights, gives people that haven't *EARNED* thier spot at a title a title shot, and in general doesn't "play fair" with the fighters, thier careers and thier opportunities. He is highly preferential, plays favorites and in general is all about the money, fuck the sport. THAT much is VERY obvious. I mean look at his falling out with Tito. Hell, he managed Tito at one time. Then he became a cockbag about Tito and Liddell going at it and told Tito to go fuck himself when he was the champ. Right there is a shitty attituse towards someone who helped the UFC get where it is. And for Tito's candor, look how he coached on the Ultimate Fighter. I don't think you could find a more enthusiastic, supportive and better coach on that show than him. I mean hell, look at how many of the fighters he coached on there became part of his camp when the show was over. Now THAT says a lot about someone.

It is also common knowledge that Dana White egged Forest on in trying to get Rampage to crack when they were coaches.

Dana White HATES the Pride guys and tried to setup every fight those guys had coming in so that they would lose to a UFC fighter to be a dick. And he was successful in each and every one, save for Rampage and the latest guy that fought in this last event. Herring, Noguera, Silva, etc, all took losses first time in the octagon.

Point being that Dana White is the EXACT ego of his latest creation, Brock Lesner, and Lesner's antics are right in-line with Dana's stupidity.

In regards to Henderson, there is NO QUESTION Bisping deserved to be slammed like he was. That cockbag Bisping should have lost his fight with Mark Hammil, and he only won it because he was in front of a home crowd in the UK. Ever since then he has gotten worse and worse being a choad. But Henderson did what EVERYONE WANTED him to do. Make a point about putting the smackdown on a cockbag. Hell, no different than what Rampage did to Silva after he knocked him out. Hell he even got not one, but THREE hits in while that asshole was knocked out. And yes, I think W.Silva is a real scumbag, especially how he carried Rampage around the ring in thier last Pride fight where he carried him, holding up while kneeing him in the face and then dumping him out of the ring while he was knocked out. That alone justifies what Rampage did to him.

But, in regards to Dana White, he will eventually be the undoing of the UFC. I mean Lesners antics are proof of how far his stupidity goes. Lesner is a stage actor, doing what he is told by those that are putting on the show, and that person is Dana White.

What, do you think there is any reason that the UFC has become a much bigger striking venue with everyone looking for knockouts vs submissions? It is because of the $100k 'knockout of the night' put up by Dana. Without that there would be a HELL of a lot more submission attempts. But then again, submission chess-matches don't sell out events anywhere near as does brute beatings. Again, it is about the bucks, not sportsmanship. If a fighter can win with nothing but submissions I gurantee he will get less fights than a guy that stands and bangs and wins by knockouts.

Crawlin
07-14-2009, 12:36 PM
It's a business right?

You are exactly right, if they wanted to have just a bunch of guys doing submissions, no one would be watching. Which would then not bring in sponsorship money, which would not get on primetime pay-per-view events, etc....

And as a president of a company, you are entitled to do as you see fit. What brings you the best bang for the buck. What brings the most income to pay those fighters a great wage and bonuses.

I don't know much about the characters/fighters/etc.... I just know I'd be doing the same friggen thing. Fuck EA and go with the guys from THQ that can build a much better game and continue their partnership with them.

Think of it this way... EA is just doing exactly what you are talking shit about Dana White for doing... Going after the $$$$. They just want to produce a game that has an obviously huge fanbase and will be able to generate quite a bit of income.

And I mean it with a smile :)

Exitspeed
07-14-2009, 12:56 PM
Sounds like you've been following the sport as long as me.

I was/am a huge Tito fan. I still say he has the best GNP in the history of the sport. The whole drama between him and Dana really did leave a sour taste in my mouth for Dana. I had more respect for Dana before that. That BS stunt he pulled with that show basically trying to make Tito look like a POS was really classless. And yeah, Tito was by far the best coach that has been on that show, I'd say next would be Hendo.

I see your points about Dana, but I still don't fully believe he's going to run it into the ground. I've been watching since about 98-99 or so and I'm actually really happy with where the sport is. I could do with a little less douchebags wearing affliction shirts that couldn't tell you what an Anaconda is, but that comes with the a sport growing like MMA is. I also agree I wouldn't mind seeing some more technical fights end in submission like there was even 5 years ago, but I'm not complaining about knockouts either. Back to Dana though, he might be a jag, and might be a money hungry bastard but I believe he really loves the sport and it is his best intention to make MMA as big as it can be AND keep it's credibility. I firmly believe this. And unless we keep seeing Lesner act the way he did, or there's some "halftime" type BS performance by Lady GaGa I don't have a reason to think otherwise.

GTSLOW
07-14-2009, 01:40 PM
If that's true, I can see where Dana is coming from.

x2 fuck EA

Yooformula
07-14-2009, 04:13 PM
actually Dana isnt the one that said he bitched them out. reporters had noted that Dana had to grab Brock several times during the pre fight press conference as he kept trying to leave. Other people saw him and heard him bitching Brock out and then afterwards Dan for their actions. Statements were confirmed afterwards when they had to apologize at which time even Brock was seen at the table drinking a Bud after he apologized. While I agree that Dana has perhaps not been the best friend to some fighters, he is afterall a businessman and that WWE type crap would hurt his business and make him out to look like a hypocrite bigtime.

Exitspeed
07-14-2009, 04:40 PM
^
Correct. Lesner himself said Dana bitched him out. His words were "it was a whip-the-dog session".

supra213
07-14-2009, 04:49 PM
My only gripe with what Dana said is that OBVIOUSLY :P with these video games, the fighters get some amount of money for their likeness and name to be included in the game or on the cover etc. Dana is essentially trying to keep his own fighters from putting cash in their own pockets.

Is he REALLY going to blacklist a fighter from the UFC if the sign up for the came? This may seem really out there and admittedly, it's very conspiracy theory-ish. But I could definitely see someone like Dana White doing this.
This isn't about videogames or not liking EA sports. This is really all about NOT bringing Fedor into the UFC. I would not be surprised if Fedor has already signed up to appear in the game and once again, Dana White has managed to find a way to weasel his way out of having to bring him into the UFC. Wanting to bring him in, just an act. Trying to come off as making an attempt to give fans what they want.
I mean seriously, the UFC is making hand over fist these days. So we all know they can afford to give him whatever he wants, and we all know bringing him in would only generate more interest and increase profits astronomically. So from a business stand point it should be a no brainer. Hell, the Yankees do it every year trying to buy... I mean win a World Series. Given Dana's ego, favoritism, and disdain for fighters from rival promotions.
Is my theory really that far from the truth? For the sake of the sport, I sure do hope so.