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Dana White recounts Vince McMahon story that cost UFC a major deal

The UFC's relationship with FOX nearly never was, according to White

Zain Bando

Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; UFC president Dana White at a press conference after UFC Fight Night at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-Imagn Images
Mar 25, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; UFC president Dana White at a press conference after UFC Fight Night at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-Imagn Images / Aaron Meullion-Imagn Images

The UFC has remained synonymous with ESPN, but over a decade ago, the MMA leader was looking for a mainstream splash. Its final two options, as 2011 was about to turn into 2012, were NBC and FOX.

UFC CEO Dana White appeared on the first-ever "What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon" podcast, which premiered Thursday, to discuss a variety of life and fight-related topics, including the unique twist of fate the promotion had by signing with FOX.

“So I’m on the 1-yard line, we’re about to get a deal done with NBC,” White said. “One of my big deal points was that The Ultimate Fighter had to be on USA [Network]. We’re literally in New York for days hammering it out with all the executives over there. Finally they come back and say ‘we’ll do it, we’ll put The Ultimate Fighter on USA.’"

When it appeared the deal was figuratively done, the unthinkable happened.

Dana White Couldn't See Eye-To-Eye With Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon ruined the UFC's NBC dea
Apr 3, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

“So the next day we come back, and we’re about to sign the deal and do all this stuff, and they’re like ‘we can’t believe this, we didn’t know this, we just found out — Vince McMahon has the right to determine whether another combat sport can come onto USA.’ I’m like what? How is that even f****** possible?”

Vince McMahon eventually squashed the request.

Of course, the rest is history. The FOX era began in 2012 and continued through the end of the 2018 event schedule.

The UFC is in the midst of figuring out its next U.S. media rights deal anyway, whether it's with Amazon, Netflix, ESPN, or another partner beginning in 2026.

For now, only time will tell.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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