"The guy's been Pete Rose'd" - Dana White explains Wanderlei Silva’s induction into UFC's Hall of Fame after being reminded of 10-year-old promise
Dana White recently explained his stance on Wanderlei Silva's induction into the UFC Hall of Fame despite a promise he made 10-years-ago regarding it not being a possibility.
The UFC CEO made a promise 10 years ago and compared the former Pride champion's future Hall of Fame status to former baseball legend Pete Rose. Rose was blacklisted from Major League Baseball and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Following the Brazilian's departure from the UFC in 2014, White believed that it would signal the end of his professional career and any hopes of a Hall of Fame induction:
"There's going to be no Hall of Fame. The guy's been Pete Rose'd...There's going to be no Hall of Fame offers." [h/t FOX Sports via MMA Fighting]
Despite that bold promise, a video package aired on the UFC 298 broadcast that officially announced 'The Axe Murderer' as the latest inductee into this year's Hall of Fame class, which also includes former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
During his post-event press conference, White was reminded of the promise and mentioned that he didn't remember making the promise and that the Brazilian deserves his induction. He said:
"Everybody that was a hardcore fan back then was a big fan of Pride. A lot of big stars came out of there and Wanderlei [Silva] has done a lot for the sport in the early days and he deserves to be in there...I've been in so many beefs with so many people that I didn't even remember that until you just told me."
It will be interesting to see whether Silva's induction will signify Dana White changing his stance on other deserving fighters that he had beef with over the years.
Dana White confirms the UFC will host an event in Spain and names possible venue
Dana White is definitely aware of Ilia Topuria's star power as he recently confirmed that the UFC will host a pay-per-view event in Spain and even named a possible venue.
During his post-event press conference following UFC 298, White mentioned that the promotion will definitely host an event in Spain and that Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, which is home to Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid, could be the venue. He said:
"How many seats is that? [Santiago Bernabeu Stadium]...Indoor or outdoor?...I like it, sounds good. Yeah, sounds good...[Ilia Topuria] He's the champion. Guy from Spain is the world champion. Yes, it would be a pay-per-view."