Dana White praises Vince McMahon: Throwback
Dana White and Vince McMahon have known each other long before the UFC-WWE merger. The two leaders of their respective entities have had numerous interactions in the past and on one Monday night in 2010, it seemed as though the WWE chairman believed the UFC president was looking to compete against him.
While speaking to the media, White was asked what the reasoning was behind scheduling UFC Fight Night 20 on Monday, January 11, 2010, putting them head-to-head with WWE Raw. He mentioned that there was no intention of going head-to-head and that it was a result of Spike TV scheduling.
"I love Vince, man, he's a fu***n animal isn't he. I mean, we're not trying to go against him. That night is the night Spike wanted the fight. Spike wanted the fight that night, they got some show airings, so that's the night that they called for it." [0:21 - 0:30]
In 2010, McMahon featured guest hosts each week on RAW and on that night, he decided to bring back boxing legend Mike Tyson for the role. The UFC president was impressed with the WWE Chairman's attitude towards the idea of competition and continued to praise him, saying:
"Vince goes into fu***ng war mode. He's calling up Tyson, he's bringing this guy back and The Rock might come back, and I love it man...And I respect Vince McMahon. I like this guy, I've had breakfast with him, he's a good guy but he is a fu***ng animal, man. I'm not trying to beat him on Monday night, I don't think we would beat 'em, those guys pull killer ratings. [0:31 - 1:07]
Now that the UFC and WWE have merged under the Endeavor umbrella, it will be interesting to see the ideas of White and McMahon, which could lead to the continued growth of their respective entities.
Check out the full video:
Dana White says Shane McMahon tried talking him out of buying the UFC
In 2001, along with WCW, Vince McMahon almost bought the UFC at the suggestion of Shane who wanted to buy it. https://t.co/kBDsw2XKsx
During the afromentioned video, Dana White also noted that Vince McMahon's son, Shane is a big fan of the UFC.
White recalled that 'Shane O'Mac' tried talking him out of purchasing the UFC when Zuffa was in talks to acquire the promotion in 2001. He mentioned that the WWE Chairman likely regretted that his son was unable to do so as the UFC eventually skyrocketed in popularity, saying:
"He [Shane McMahon] actually tried to talk us down into buying the UFC back in the day. You know, Vince I love you but I bet you wish you did." [1:31 - 1:38]