Dana White reacts to Dustin Poirier's proposed four-man BMF title tournament involving high-profile UFC lightweights: "Sounds fun"
Dana White recently welcomed Dustin Poirier’s unconventional suggestion for a four-man tournament featuring some of the UFC lightweight division’s biggest names.
During a recent appearance on MMA on SiriusXM, 'The Diamond' eagerly shared his enthusiasm for participating in a one-night tournament alongside Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, and Dan Hooker to determine the next BMF champion:
"That [tournament] excites me... because that kind of stuff is for the dogs, man. That's like the old PRIDE days or Grand Prixs, you know? That's a real BMF. If you can fight in a tournament in one night, multiple opponents, I mean, dude, that's kind of the definition of a BMF."
Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below:
Poirier's concept has apparently garnered White's approval. During the press conference for the latest episode of 'Dana White's Contender Series' on Tuesday, the UFC CEO admitted that he had never considered such a tournament before, but he found the idea intriguing:
"Sounds fun. Never thought about it, but yeah, I love it."
Check out Dana White's comments below:
'The Diamond' fell short in his bid for the UFC's ceremonial belt, enduring a second-round head kick knockout during his rematch against Gaethje at UFC 291 in July 2023. The reigning holder of the BMF belt is Holloway, who captured the title with a last-second knockout of Gaethje at UFC 300 this past April.
The tournament-style format is not a novel concept for the premier MMA promotion, as it originated with this structure. UFC 17, held in May 1998, was the last event to showcase a tournament-style format, with the exception of UFC 23 in November 1999.
When Dana White stated BMF championship is "a one and done" concept
The idea for the BMF title originated after Nate Diaz's declaration of himself as the "baddest motherf**ker in the game," leading to a challenge directed at Jorge Masvidal. The two fighters headlined UFC 244 in November 2019, where 'Gamebred' secured the belt with a TKO victory via doctor stoppage.
Prior to the fight, Dana White addressed fans during an X Q&A session, stating that the BMF title bout between Diaz and Masvidal would be a one-time event and that there would be no division or rankings associated with the belt. He said:
"No, this is a one-and-done. This is a one-time fight."
Check out Dana White's comments below: