Dana White retorts at fan on lack of UFC 284 promotion allegations after Islam Makhachev's comment
Islam Makhachev's complaints to UFC president Dana White about the lack of promotion for his fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Given the rarity of the bout between the world's two best pound-for-pound fighters, the Dagestani believes the UFC should be ramping up marketing for the bout.
The MMA community has noticed that the UFC has been heavily advertising White's latest venture, the Power Slap League. Keeping that in mind, Makhachev expressed his displeasure with the promotion of his bout with Volkanovski in an interview with RSports Russia:
“Dana White himself has some problems. He does not pay much attention to this fight. Here in Perth, everyone knows about the fight and is looking forward to it. And in terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done. I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organized around the world. A [press] conference could be held in America.”
Islam Makhachev isn't feeling the promotional hype around his champ-vs-champ fight.
#UFC284 | More: bit.ly/3Ht3lCE https://t.co/6wnAYH9k6v
Dana White recently announced on Instagram that he will go live to deliver major announcements. Conor McGregor's return was announced as the coach for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) against Michael Chandler.
One fan speculated in the comments section that perhaps White may have realized that the UFC has been advertising the Power Slap League much more than UFC 284.
However, to everyone's surprise, Dana White retorted at the fan, claiming that it is highly unlikely:
"Don't count on it."
Check out the exchange below (via @oocmma on Twitter):
#UFC284 https://t.co/TYb0GUjmdX
Islam Makhachev's teammate notes that Dana White's Power Slap League has been promoted more than UFC 284
Chase Saldate, Islam Makhachev's teammate at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, recently made out a side-by-side comparison between how many times the UFC has promoted the Power Slap League as opposed to UFC 284.
Dana White's Power Slap League debuted on January 18 and has been received with a mixed reception online. The UFC president has received backlash for the barbaric nature of the sport and its measly pay structure. The anticipation for the event has unfortunately not translated into viewership.
Saldate, recipient of the MSU (Michigan State University) Outstanding Freshman Award, noted that the UFC's official Instagram page made nine posts for UFC 284, but advertised the Power Slap League nineteen times.
He further wrote that while he understands that the latest venture requires substantial marketing activity, UFC 284 deserves to get promoted closer to the event:
"Power slap needs to be promoted because it is new. However why not also spend some more time promoting UFC 284 before fight week."