Speaking to The Mac Life ahead of the UFC’s return this weekend, White addressed his comments, saying that the UFC has overcome a hurdle in catching and prosecuting pirates and that he’s looking forward to catching them this year.
“We’ve been one of the leagues that has been so proactive on piracy,” White said. “I love how cool and tough these guys act on social media because let me tell you what, we’ve caught a lot of people. Let me tell you what they do, they cry. They cry and they beg not to be prosecuted and all this other stuff.
“We just overcame a huge hurdle in the piracy world and we’re going to catch some of these guys in 2021. I look forward to the crying and the begging. We’ll see how tough they are when they get caught.”
Digital piracy is an ongoing issue in the United States, with estimates suggesting that online piracy costs the entertainment industry between 30 and 70 billion dollars a year. The UFC is obviously only a small sliver of that industry but dating all the way back to 2011 the UFC itself estimated piracy to cost them roughly $30 million per year. Still, the zeal with which White spoke about catching pirates certainly make it seem like something he takes personally, a claim that White denies.
“Not at all,” White said. “Listen, you’re a criminal. You’re a criminal and now I’ve got guys - I love this one, listen to this one - there’s a guy right now who, literally after I said this thing, so if you go through my Instagram and look through all the comments, there’s a guy saying ‘DM me if you want to get the fight this weekend.’ He’s stealing people’s information. People that are DM’ing him, he’s stealing their information. He’s taking your money from your bank and charging your credit card. These guys are f*cking scumbag criminals! Don’t listen to them! These guys are scumbags, they’re criminals. They’re bad guys.”
It’s still likely that the UFC will face an uptick in piracy this year as they recently raised the price of their PPVs up to $69.99. Regardless of threats of prosecution, it’s inevitable that people will continue pirating UFC PPVs and that’s something White knows too. Still, he’s looking forward to making a dent in it this year.
“They’re never all going to go away,” White concluded. “They’re going to be out there and we’re not trying to get rid of all of them. I just want to catch a few. That’s all I’m looking for. I just want to catch a few. You can’t shut the whole thing down, that piracy industry is going to go on forever. Let me catch a few and watch what happens — and I will, oh it’s coming.”
[h=1]TOP STORIES[/h]Response. Dana White: Spencer Fisher ‘not the first and he’s definitely not going to be the last’ to deal with brain trauma.
Exaggeration. Max Holloway: ‘Hard to be mad’ about Alexander Volkanovski loss when ’80 to 90 percent of the world thought I won the fight’.
Mad. James Krause not sure why fight with Joaquin Buckley wasn’t booked, ‘but to say I’m ducking him is absurd’.
Tragic. Bellator fighter Robin van Roosmalen seriously injured, sister dies following car accident.
Plans. Jiu-jitsu legend Hannette Staack plans MMA debut for 2021.
[h=1]VIDEO STEW[/h]UFC Fight Island 7 Media Day.
Fight Week Food Diaries.
The history of Max Holloway.
BT Sport with an excellent promo.
Kang dropped a UFC 257 promo.
[h=1]LISTEN UP[/h]Heavy Hands. Discussing UFC Fight Island 7.
Jack Slack. Discussing UFC Fight Island 7.
[h=1]SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE[/h]Gray Maynard on the Spenser story and ramifications.
Honestly, it’s hard to tell anyone still fighting to provide for their family. You put that off as, “it doesn’t matter about me, I gotta suck it up and put food on the table”. Most ufc fighter are walking into the octagon hoping they can pay their bills. https://t.co/Vk2yGhOZbR
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
But, brain testing and scans will give you a good indication for them. Even talking to neurologists, they even tell me..... “we still don’t know that much about it”. It’s crazy how complex the human brain is. Of course people need to negate as much damage as possible, https://t.co/Vk2yGhOZbR
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
but some men and women who fight feel trapped, fighting and training has been your life for years and years. It’s hard to just quit. I’m really working on putting some information out there for athletes to navigate their brain health and not fall victim to this vicious cycle. https://t.co/Vk2yGhOZbR
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
Our body and mind is an amazing thing if we treat it right. There’s so many ways to promote brain health with basic lifestyle changes in a more holistic approach. https://t.co/Vk2yGhOZbR
— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
Kavanagh stays ready.— Gray Maynard (@GrayMaynard) January 13, 2021
Read before sending me the WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/g6AdMfS75f
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) January 13, 2021
Daddest man on the planet.— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) January 13, 2021
“Daddy can you get my tooth out”...no worries darling! #prouddad pic.twitter.com/HMBuTKdmcj
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) January 14, 2021
Heavyweight Jon Jones.— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) January 14, 2021
Perfect match.
Eric B and @funkmasterMMA #PaidInFull @UFC @EricB pic.twitter.com/CSOST4PGLc
— PAID IN FULL POSSE (@EricBandRakim) January 14, 2021
Fiziev coming for Tony Ferguson’s crown.— PAID IN FULL POSSE (@EricBandRakim) January 14, 2021
[h=1]FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS[/h]James Vick (13-5) vs. Andre Fialho (10-4); XMMA, Jan. 30.
Gillian Robertson (9-5) vs. Miranda Maverick (8-2); UFC 258, Feb. 13.
Leon Edwards (18-3) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (9-0); UFC Fight Night, Mar. 13.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-1) vs. Ciryl Gane (7-0); UFC Fight Night, Mar. 13.
[h=1]FINAL THOUGHTS[/h]Don’t pirate things. That is, in fact, illegal.
Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow
[h=1]EXIT POLL[/h]
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
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