Dana White admits he bent UFC contract eligibility thumb rule to sign 35-year-old kickboxing veteran with win over Alex Pereira
Dana White does not generally sign older prospects to the UFC. However, that was not the case with Cesar Almeida, who is 35 years old. The kickboxing veteran, who holds a win over two-division Glory champion Alex Pereira, received a UFC contract after a unanimous decision victory in Dana White Contender's Series.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, the UFC president shared what led to the contract, stating:
"He was in some bad positions tonight that a guy with 50 something kickboxing fights you'd think would be in big trouble. [He was] totally composed like a vet and a pro, took his time, worked his way out of positions, never freaked out, never panicked."
White continued by sharing the promotion's plan for Almeida:
"First of all, he's not a guy at his age that you sit on and try to move around. You bring him in and you throw him in there. He's got the experience. He looked d**n well-rounded tonight to me. We'll see what he's got when he gets in the UFC.
"I'm not looking for 35-year-old contenders, but you have to respect the man, his resume and what he did here tonight, so he's going to get a shot."
Check out Dana White's comments on signing Cesar Almeida below (starting at the 10:01 mark):
White noted that Almeida holds 47 wins, including 27 knockouts, in kickboxing. He won his three previous mixed martial arts bouts via knockout and remains undefeated.
Dana White weighs in on potential bout between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have teased a potential mixed martial arts bout. UFC president Dana White, who has shared that he is looking to promote the bout, recently gave an update on it.
During a recent appearance on Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson, the promotional frontman stated:
"This is one of those fights that, if we did do that, I would build a killer undercard, you know, with tons of great fights and then you'd have the main event. Think about how big that fight is. Two of the richest, most powerful guys in the f**king world are going to fight on the biggest stage ever. Who the f**k doesn't want to see that fight?"
White speculated that the bout would generate $1 billion in revenue. Furthermore, he shared that he has been in contact with the Minister of Culture in Italy about holding the fight at the Colosseum in Rome.
Check out Dana White's comments on Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg below:
