UFC president Dana White is all pumped up for UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday. The pay-per-view event will be headlined by the middleweight title bout between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.
It will be a clash of styles between du Plessis, the reigning champion, and Chimaev, the undefeated challenger. The former is known for his kickboxing background, while the latter is a strong grappler. White already declared that it will be the fight of the night.
It’s worth noting that UFC 319 could be the last event available via the traditional pay-per-view model, as the UFC struck a new media deal with Paramount+.
To recall, the UFC imposed a crackdown on illegal streams that became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to massive revenue losses for the UFC, as its pay-per-view offering was severely affected.
The 56-year-old White shared a story about getting confronted with a gun by a bar owner in Memphis over the issue.
“Some guy walked out with a f****** gun into the street and was looking for me because we had caught him stealing the pay-per-view, and he almost lost his bar because of it. It was a weird thing, but we really got some people during that time, and everybody thinks it’s funny until you get f****** caught,” said White on “Pardon My Take.”
White, who took over the UFC in 2001, previously said they’ve spent “millions of dollars a year” to combat illegal streams.
He stressed that moving on from the old pay-per-view model will make the UFC more accessible to fans.
“This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world. The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport,” said White in a report from Heavy’s Jordon Lawrenz.
It’s hard not get pumped up for that.
Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas.
