5 most hilarious Dana White rants when he absolutely went after someone on the mic!
UFC President Dana White is one of the most polarizing figures in MMA. The most commonplace feuds in combat sports are typically between fighters. More often than not, these fighters are scheduled to face each other in an upcoming matchup. Therefore, they either engage in trash talk or manufacture animosity to drum up interest in the bout.
On occasions, that animosity can be genuine. When it comes to Dana White, that animosity is always genuine. Yet it is not the only thing that sets the UFC President apart from others. He is a non-combat figure who routinely exhibits hostility towards combat figures, whether they're fighters competing under his banner or elsewhere.
The UFC corporate mainstay's reactions have become synonymous with the promotion. White has always been unfiltered, whether he's speaking his mind or laying into anyone who incurred his wrath. His rants have become legendary in MMA.
With that being said, this list covers 5 most hilarious rants of the UFC president when he decided to tear into someone.
#5. Dana White vs. Justin Timberlake
The very fact that the UFC President once verbally attacked Justin Timberlake is comical on its own. Both men come from wildly different worlds, with Timberlake being a pop star whose popularity peaked in the mid 2000s. Even something more superficially comparable to MMA, like pro-wrestling, was derided by Timberlake. Meanwhile, White prides himself on coming from the world of MMA.
So how did Dana White and Justin Timberlake cross paths? According to the UFC president, the incident took place backstage at the Nickelodeon Awards.
Dana White was in attendance with his children who wanted a few moments of the pop star's time. Unfortunately, they were brushed aside and Dana White's anger overflowed during an interview with Sports Illustrated.
"This was a few years ago. You name it, A-list, all the A-listers that the kids would love are backstage. The biggest d***head back there was Justin Timberlake. Just such a complete jack off, yeah. Just couldn't have been a bigger d***. I don't know if he's a UFC fan or not, but I'm not a big Timberlake fan. Takes two seconds to say hi to a kid. Takes two seconds. I never run by anybody. If you're a fan of the UFC and you like it or your kids like it, why would I not want to talk to you? Why would I not?"
Fortunately, the UFC President's displeasure over Justin Timberlake's conduct didn't last. A phone call from the former NSYNC member led to the situation being resolved and nothing else came of it.
#4. Dana White vs. Larry Merchant
Larry Merchant is widely hailed as one of the greatest boxing analysts in the sport's history. Unfortunately, that label does not mean that the longtime commentator is without criticism. In 2011, Floyd Mayweather Jr. faced Victor Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title.
During the bout, Ortiz landed an allegedly intentional headbutt on Mayweather. Forced by the referee to apologize, Ortiz did so, but after embracing his rival, he was knocked down by a left-hook from 'Money' and was unable to continue.
Mayweather's conduct was widely declared unsportsmanlike and Merchant claimed as such during the post-fight interview.
Incensed by his remarks, 'Money' questioned his boxing knowledge while demanding that he be fired from his commentary role. Larry Merchant retorted by wishing that he was 50 years younger so that he'd be able to physically assault Mayweather. The longtime commentator's words didn't sit well with Dana White, who is a longtime boxing fan.
"Who the hell would want to do an interview with him? It's probably the thing they dread worse than training and cutting weight and everything, is their interview with Larry Merchant. It's ridiculous. I actually thought that was very embarrassing for HBO. The guy is senile, he's out of his mind."
White continued:
"He's up there berating Floyd, but Floyd can't say anything back to you? You've been disrespecting guys your whole career, and guess what, you can go back 60 years, you're not kicking Floyd's a**, okay? Give me a break. And what's Floyd going to do? A 102-year-old guy just said that to him."
It's worth noting that Dana White's thoughts on the situation were offered in 2011 when Larry Merchant was 80 years of age.
#3. Dana White vs. Bob Arum
Dana White and Bob Arum do not like each other. There is no other way of characterizing their relationship or lack thereof. The UFC President is no fan of Bob Arum's business practices as a fellow promoter. While his career in boxing has been storied, the 90-year-old has been embroiled in countless controversies.
Dana White went *OFF* on Bob Arum for his recent comments about Terence Crawford: "Piece of f*cking sh*t." 😳
#DWCS | Full interview: youtu.be/yfSxXe6xYl0 https://t.co/bheX3LDg2p
Two years ago, Bob Arum was sued by reigning WBO welterweight boxer Terrence Crawford. According to Crawford, Arum engaged in racial bias that manifested in the 90-year old's refusal to promote him better while claiming that he needed to promote himself better and that he could build a house with the amount of money he lost in Crawford's previous three bouts at the time.
When Arum's words came to White's attention, the UFC president unleashed a characteristically brutal rant.
"Imagine me saying, 'Oh, I gotta pay Conor McGregor f*cking this much money. I could've bought a house in Beverly Hills'. Shut the f**k up, you f**king scumbag. Pay your f**king fighter what you owe him. That's your job, and Bob Arum is a piece of f**king sh*t. Goodnight everybody."
#2. Dana White vs. Tito Ortiz
Dana White and Tito Ortiz were once close friends. Not only were they friends, but both men were business associates as 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' was under Dana White's personal management. Unfortunately, the friendship underwent a well-known split that soured both men to one another.
Dana White fires at Tito Ortiz: "If you take all living things and put them in a barrel, Tito is the dumbest out of everything." | themaclife.com/featured-posts… https://t.co/9a5uFAVME9
As Ortiz ascended through the UFC rankings to capture light heavyweight gold, White became the promotion's president. During this time, the relationship between the two men did not improve. Ortiz wore a t-shirt that described White in less than flattering terms and the two of them reached a breaking point.
A feud erupted between the two, resulting in the UFC President ranting about 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' on numerous occasions. Perhaps the most frequent insults that Dana White has thrown Tito Ortiz's way are the ones involving his apparent lack of intelligence, such as referring to him as the dumbest living thing in the world.
#1. Dana White vs. Oscar De La Hoya
Much like his relationship with Tito Ortiz, Dana White's history with legendary boxer Oscar De La Hoya has had an amicable start. Unfortunately, that came to an end once Dana White co-promoted a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.
Dana White has ALL-TIME rant on "sack of s***" Oscar De La Hoya; Shows documents to debunk lies
youtu.be/z26V4sBvUxo https://t.co/CA5U4QBI7M
'The Golden Boy' described the matchup between 'Money' and 'The Notorious' as inherently disrespectful to boxing. The UFC President didn't take kindly to De La Hoya's remarks and a feud has since sparked since that day. White accused the boxing great of drug and alcohol abuse in a retort and things only escalated from there.
At a press conference last year, White unleashed an all-time great rant targeting De La Hoya as both men accused each other of unsavory business practices.
Find out: How much is Dana White's Net Worth?