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Fuente: http://www.suntimes.com/output/sunda.../drive03b.html
On the record with... Dana White
September 3, 2006
He was named president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Jan. 15, 2001, and UFC ratings often eclipse those of boxing and college football on Saturday nights. The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Thursdays on SpikeTV, also does very well. White implemented weight classes and outlawed dangerous activities such as eye gouging, helping the UFC become sanctioned by Nevada and California athletic associations. The UFC is working to get sanctioned by Illinois' commission.
UFC 62 last weekend was great, especially compared to Chicagoan Andrei Arlovski's match in UFC 61 on July 8. They said in the middle of that fight he hurt his knee. But it looked to me like he was just in there not to get knocked out. All of our shows have been great, except for that one. That was the worst. It was so bad that I went to SpikeTV and cut a deal. The Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock III bout on Oct. 10 will be free, live on Spike. All the people who bought that [Arlovski card] felt like they got robbed. Even in supermarkets people were telling me that sucked. I don't want our fans ever to feel that way again.
How are talks going to expand to other cities, such as Chicago? Good. We're talking to state commissions to sanction bouts in every state, even states we won't have cards in, because I want it to be safe for all fighters. We've never had a death or serious injury [since White took over], and I want to keep it that way.
What is a realistic date for getting a UFC card at the United Center? 2007. That's when I think we'll get it done. I told people last year we'd get it in California, and we have. It's been great, and it's great for the cities with revenue.
Pride is coming to Vegas. How will that affect the UFC? Not at all. They're having financial trouble. They lost their TV distribution in Japan. There are a lot of accusations they're not good guys.
Could you guys merge? We could buy them.
September 3, 2006
He was named president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Jan. 15, 2001, and UFC ratings often eclipse those of boxing and college football on Saturday nights. The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Thursdays on SpikeTV, also does very well. White implemented weight classes and outlawed dangerous activities such as eye gouging, helping the UFC become sanctioned by Nevada and California athletic associations. The UFC is working to get sanctioned by Illinois' commission.
UFC 62 last weekend was great, especially compared to Chicagoan Andrei Arlovski's match in UFC 61 on July 8. They said in the middle of that fight he hurt his knee. But it looked to me like he was just in there not to get knocked out. All of our shows have been great, except for that one. That was the worst. It was so bad that I went to SpikeTV and cut a deal. The Tito Ortiz-Ken Shamrock III bout on Oct. 10 will be free, live on Spike. All the people who bought that [Arlovski card] felt like they got robbed. Even in supermarkets people were telling me that sucked. I don't want our fans ever to feel that way again.
How are talks going to expand to other cities, such as Chicago? Good. We're talking to state commissions to sanction bouts in every state, even states we won't have cards in, because I want it to be safe for all fighters. We've never had a death or serious injury [since White took over], and I want to keep it that way.
What is a realistic date for getting a UFC card at the United Center? 2007. That's when I think we'll get it done. I told people last year we'd get it in California, and we have. It's been great, and it's great for the cities with revenue.
Pride is coming to Vegas. How will that affect the UFC? Not at all. They're having financial trouble. They lost their TV distribution in Japan. There are a lot of accusations they're not good guys.
Could you guys merge? We could buy them.
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