Devil’s Advocate: What if Dana White was Right?

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Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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After a long and tumultuous battle to keep business operations running during the COVID-19 pandemic, UFC President Dana White on April finally made the call to postpone the promotion’s events indefinitely. The longtime MMA promoter had been adamant about the Ultimate Fighting Championship continuing to stage cards behind closed doors, testing fighters and staff for the coronavirus to ensure that any fights would be conducted in a safe environment.

Set to host events at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino for the next several weeks until the company could secure a private island, the promotion had faced mounting pressure from the media and health organizations to cancel upcoming cards until further notice, citing not only COVID-19 concerns but the unnecessary strain to the healthcare system from fighter injuries in the cage. However, White’s decision to delay was less of a tapout and more of a corner throwing in the towel, as it took calls from California Governor Gavin Newsom, California Senator Dianne Feinstein and high-ranking executives within Disney and ESPN for the 50-year-old to finally acquiesce and call off the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view.

Considering the risks involved, very few have questioned the choice to postpone combat sports. The Association of Ringside Physicians called for an indefinite suspension of sporting events earlier this month, and almost every state athletic commission has pulled licensing approval for fights until further notice. Several prominent MMA pundits took to social media to state that they believed canceling UFC 249 to be the right move, even if they were disappointed that the sport they loved would remain on an extended hiatus. Even event headliner Tony Ferguson admitted that he was “sure it was for a good reason” when he found out the pay-per-view was off during an interview with the Orange County Register.

With that said, what if the media, government and UFC’s business partners were wrong? What if White’s original mantra of “the show must go on” was the right call during the COVID-19 pandemic? That’s obviously a big if, but nevertheless, it warrants further discussion.

The UFC president has been known to make lemonade when life hands him lemons, and UFC 249 seemed to be no different. After lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced to bow out of the card, White managed to put together an intriguing matchup between Ferguson and Justin Gaethje for the interim 155-pound belt; it was likely the best alternative option to the original main event. Not only that, but the Manchester, Connecticut, native reconstructed the lineup with fights from previously postponed events, resulting in what looked to be one of the best cards on paper in recent memory.

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Imagine if the location for UFC 249 had not been revealed and the event took place without those in attendance contracting the coronavirus or needing hospitalization. The UFC would have been the only sporting event available to the masses over the upcoming weekend, which could have led to a massive increase in casual viewership. Just ask World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon. Fans who could afford it would have gladly ponied up the $64.99 purchase price for the event, with the promotion possibly drawing in the aforementioned casual viewers and a subset of customers who normally watch fights out at participating bars and restaurants. White’s actions would have no doubt been called reckless by much of the media, but the added exposure, potential PPV butyrate and money from fulfilling its media rights contract with ESPN would have been more than worth it in his eyes.

The decision to move forward with events also had a fair share of support behind it. Upon hearing UFC 249 was postponed, many fighters praised White’s attempt to keep the show going, with some lashing out at the media and government for the loss of the card and potential income. Droves of hardcore fans were also supportive of White’s actions, jeering at pundits who had called for UFC 249 to be canceled. If no one had gotten sick or required hospitalization as a result of the event, the praise for the UFC president would have been at an all-time high among his most loyal customers, furthering the cult of personality he has developed with them over the past two decades.

It’s no secret that both the UFC and parent company Endeavor are in a rough spot financially at the moment, and continuing events without interruption could have been a lifeline. Both entities recently had their credit rating downgraded by S&P Global, which cited each company’s reliance on event revenue during the pandemic as substantially high-risk. Endeavor has already suffered through layoffs and cutbacks since the COVID-19 catastrophe took hold and used $300 million from the UFC to pay out a dividend to its shareholders after a failed IPO in 2019. If White had been allowed to move forward with UFC 249, the money from the ESPN media rights deal would have been extremely helpful to the promotion and its parent entity, helping to keep both afloat during this unprecedented crisis.

Moving forward with UFC 249 as the world reels from the coronavirus would have certainly been one of the riskiest moves the promotion had ever made, but the rewards for pulling it off successfully were massive. Fighters would have gotten paid, the UFC would have brought in some much-needed revenue and the fans at home who long for some semblance of normalcy would have gotten to watch the sport they love again. As it stands now, the promotion is set to move ahead in early May, looking to host events out of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas while only delaying UFC 249 by three weeks. With another 35 events to put on this year if the UFC hopes to fulfill its contract with ESPN, you can rest assured that White will do everything in his power to make those cards happen. The question: Will he be in the right to do so?

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