"That guy did way too much damage" - UFC President Dana White shuts down hopes of being friends with Oscar De La Hoya again despite "sincere apology"
Dana White appreciates Oscar De La Hoya's attempt to smooth over things in their relationship, but the UFC president says there's no way they can be friends again.
White and De La Hoya have been in a back-and-forth war of words since De La Hoya attacked White for his part in the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather crossover fight. Things between the two soured even further when De La Hoya booked White's close friend Chuck Liddell for a third fight against Tito Ortiz that saw an aged 'Iceman' get knocked out in the first round.
All of that history was just too much to overcome, despite a 'sincere' apology from Oscar De La Hoya. Dana White told GQ Sports:
"I feel like De La Hoya's apology was sincere, but there's no way that he and I can ever be friends again. He and I were actually friends, I used to go to his fights, I used to watch his fights and promote his fights. That guy did way too much damage for us to ever be friends again. I appreciate his apology, get it. We're cool but we're never going to be that cool."
Watch Dana White discuss his relationship with Oscar De La Hoya below:
At the height of their friendship, White described himself as a part of Oscar De La Hoya's camp. At their lowest, De La Hoya challenged White to a fight in 2021 after the UFC president wouldn't allow Georges St-Pierre to box him.
.@danawhite Quit blocking
@GeorgesStPierre’s chance to fight. How about we get into the ring first little B*#ch then after I kick your ass, I’ll fight a real man #DeLaHoyaGSP #LetGSPFight https://t.co/sPKeXpHDDW
Oscar De La Hoya apologizes to Dana White "a thousand percent" for negative exchanges
Midway through 2022, Oscar De La Hoya started trying to make amends with Dana White. In a chat with TMZ Sports, he said he hoped the two could work things out. He expanded on that sentiment during an interview with The MMA Hour in June, saying:
“There were some exchanges going back and forth, me and Dana, to which I apologized to him a thousand percent. There’s still a lot of business to be done with me and Dana in the future… If he ever wants to talk and sit down, imagine our two powerhouses and creating something together. It would be pretty unique.”
As White has said, there's little chance we'll see Golden Boy and UFC working together, but a truce may be enough to stop White from verbally torpedoing De La Hoya at every opportunity.