Dana White Fires Back At Nate Diaz & Floyd Mayweather, Wants More Credit For Rousey

On Tuesday (July 15, 2014), in his weekly chat with the promotion’s interview feature “The Download,” UFC President Dana White discussed a number of different subjects, including Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, and Ronda Rousey.

Regarding Nate Diaz, the UFC’s president took the lightweight fighter to task for his Twitter remarks of yesterday (July 14, 2014), when Diaz made an off-color  remark about fellow 155 pound fighter Donald Cerrone and the “Cowboy” performing an oral sex act on the UFC.

Stating that Diaz can do what he wants, White drew the line at Diaz “making fun” of a fighter that wants to fight.

His words:  

“Nate can do whatever he wants to do. Nate can sit out and not suck any UFC whatever, for as long as he wants to. Who cares, he’s a grown man. Sit out for as long as you want, sit out the rest of your career, it’s your decision. But to start making fun of guys who actually like to fight, and guys who go out there and put on unbelievable fights and people love to see him? (Cowboy) steps up and does what he does. People love Cowboy Cerrone.

Nate wants to talk about making money, but there’s only one way to make money, and that’s fighting.”

On the issue, White has a point. The only way for Diaz to make money and to get the new contract that he wants, is to fight and finish out the agreement that he already has. However, knocking a fighter that’s taken seven fights in 18 months and earned three consecutive event bonuses, seems a bit foolish. And regardless of whether or not Diaz has a win over Cerrone, which, of course, he does – UFC 141, unanimous decision victory.   

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As for Floyd Mayweather and his comment about women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and not knowing who “he” was, White took the boxing legend’s remarks with a grain of salt. Specifically, White stated that he’d expect no less of an answer from Mayweather:

“What’s Floyd going to say? That’s a lose-lose situation for Floyd,” White said. “For him to even acknowledge that he knows who Ronda is, and that she could possibly beat him in a fight, ya know, that’s what I’d expect him to say.”

Of course, White is right. What else can Mayweather say? The undefeated champion is caught between a rock and a hard place on the issue of Rousey, because she’s a woman and in another sport. As such, all Mayweather can really do is ignore the hypothetical.  

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From there, White leapt to his champion’s defense, stating that the media fails in giving Rousey the credit that she deserves and that if she were a man, that “Rowdy” would be the No. 1 ranked fighter in the world:

“She’s higher than number nine in the pound-for-pound. She’s undefeated, she’s finished every fight in devastating fashion, but it’s still a man’s world, man. The media is never going to put her higher up in the rankings. The media decides it, and Ronda, being a woman, has had to fight harder. If there was a guy that was on the streak that Ronda was on, he’d be the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, like that. But because she’s a woman, these guys aren’t going to give her the credit she deserves.”

On this issue, White might be reaching. Rousey gets nothing but respect from the media and for good reason, she’s earned it. And yes, she probably would be ranked No. 1 in the world if she was a man.

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However, if she was a man, she’d be fighting the likes of TJ Dillashaw, Rennan Barao, Urijah Faber, Raphael Assuncao, and Dominick Cruz, to name just a few. As such, it would be difficult to say whether or not she’d have the same success in a men’s division as she’s had in the women’s class, however, it would certainly be easy to say her competition would be a great deal tougher and more well-rounded.