Ariel Helwani Doubts Dana White’s Knowledge Of UFC Roster

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Ariel Helwani thinks that Dana White has become so disinterested in promoting the UFC that he barely knows the fighters signed to the roster.
The UFC is set to return to Australia for the first time in more than three years when UFC 284 takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth. The event’s main card might not be as stacked as some of the promotion’s more significant PPV offerings, but the headliner between champions Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski is perhaps one of the best matchups the UFC has ever put together.
There have already been some questions around the apparent lack of promotion for the event leading up to UFC 284, and that wasn’t helped by the fact that White recently appeared to forget Makhachev’s name while answering questions from the media.
Fight fans know that there’s been no love lost between White and Helwani over the years, and the noted MMA journalist tackled White’s momentary lapse in memory on his show The MMA Hour.
“How is that possible? Helwani asked. “Please explain to me how this is possible. How can you be the promoter, where your singular job is to let the world know that these things are happening, that these fights are happening, that you need to pay $75 on ESPN+ PPV. How is it possible – now are we just gonna chalk it up to, ‘Oh it was late,’ or ‘Oh he’s got a lot on his plate.’…How can you sit here with a straight face and say, ‘That’s good promotion.’ That that’s the best in the business. That we deserve that, that the ship would sink without that.”
Helwani Suggests White Doesn’t Know His Own Fighters
The Makhachev error was the initial catalyst for questioning White’s skills as a promoter, but Helwani went a step further and suggested that the UFC President might not be able to recognize many of the organization’s fighters.

“I mean, what percentage of the UFC roster walks into UFC HQ and he knows who they are? Is it 10 percent of the 500 rostered? Is it 5 percent?”

UFC 284 will be headlined by a champion-versus-champion matchup between Makhachev and Volkanovski. (Zuffa LLC)
White has certainly kept busy in recent months, although it could be argued that his work as the face of the UFC hasn’t been the main priority. The 53-year-old was caught on video slapping his wife and has apparently managed to avoid any real negative consequences for the act, although the premier of his latest “sporting” endeavor Power Slap was delayed by a week for supposedly unrelated reasons.
Even if White is unable to remember the name of his lightweight champion or recognize many of the fighters on the UFC roster, UFC 284 is still set to be the promotion’s biggest card of the year so far.
In addition to the main event between champions Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, the co-main event will crown either Yair Rodriguez or Josh Emmett as the UFC’s interim featherweight champion.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.


Ariel Helwani thinks that Dana White has become so disinterested in promoting the UFC that he barely knows the fighters signed to the roster.


The UFC is set to return to Australia for the first time in more than three years when UFC 284 takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth. The event’s main card might not be as stacked as some of the promotion’s more significant PPV offerings, but the headliner between champions Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski is perhaps one of the best matchups the UFC has ever put together.


There have already been some questions around the apparent lack of promotion for the event leading up to UFC 284, and that wasn’t helped by the fact that White recently appeared to forget Makhachev’s name while answering questions from the media.


Fight fans know that there’s been no love lost between White and Helwani over the years, and the noted MMA journalist tackled White’s momentary lapse in memory on his show The MMA Hour.


“How is that possible? Helwani asked. “Please explain to me how this is possible. How can you be the promoter, where your singular job is to let the world know that these things are happening, that these fights are happening, that you need to pay $75 on ESPN+ PPV. How is it possible – now are we just gonna chalk it up to, ‘Oh it was late,’ or ‘Oh he’s got a lot on his plate.’…How can you sit here with a straight face and say, ‘That’s good promotion.’ That that’s the best in the business. That we deserve that, that the ship would sink without that.”

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Helwani Suggests White Doesn’t Know His Own Fighters
The Makhachev error was the initial catalyst for questioning White’s skills as a promoter, but Helwani went a step further and suggested that the UFC President might not be able to recognize many of the organization’s fighters.



“I mean, what percentage of the UFC roster walks into UFC HQ and he knows who they are? Is it 10 percent of the 500 rostered? Is it 5 percent?”


[/quote]
islam-makhachev-alexander-volkanovski-ufc-284.jpg.optimal.jpg
UFC 284 will be headlined by a champion-versus-champion matchup between Makhachev and Volkanovski. (Zuffa LLC)
White has certainly kept busy in recent months, although it could be argued that his work as the face of the UFC hasn’t been the main priority. The 53-year-old was caught on video slapping his wife and has apparently managed to avoid any real negative consequences for the act, although the premier of his latest “sporting” endeavor Power Slap was delayed by a week for supposedly unrelated reasons.


Even if White is unable to remember the name of his lightweight champion or recognize many of the fighters on the UFC roster, UFC 284 is still set to be the promotion’s biggest card of the year so far.


In addition to the main event between champions Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, the co-main event will crown either Yair Rodriguez or Josh Emmett as the UFC’s interim featherweight champion.


Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.




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