Dana White reveals former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon blocked major UFC deal because he 'didn't want' to
Dana White recently revealed how former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon blocked a major UFC deal back when the MMA company was still rising in popularity. Now, the two companies are under the same company, with White serving as UFC President while Vince is no longer affiliated with WWE.
There was a disconnect between WWE and UFC, especially their respective fanbases, due to how different the two brands are. While not direct rivals, there was a point wherein Vince didn't want the UFC on the same network as his beloved Monday Night RAW.
Speaking as the first guest of Stephanie McMahon's What's Your Story? podcast, Dana White opened up about how Vince McMahon blocked UFC's deal with NBC Universal. White wanted The Ultimate Fighter to be aired on the USA Network, but Vince apparently had a clause in his NBC contract that he had the last say on combat sports for the network.
"I'm on the one-yard line and about to get a deal done with NBC. One of my big deal points was that 'The Ultimate Fighter' would have to be on USA (Network). … We were about to sign the deal. They were like, 'We can’t believe this. We didn’t know this. We just found out Vince McMahon has the right to determine whether another combat sport can come on to USA.' I'm like, 'What? How is that f*cking possible?' We fly out to Connecticut, go to the offices, we go to your father, sit down. We laid it out on him, he was like, 'I don’t want you on the network.' That blew up the whole NBC deal and we were actually trying to buy the G4 (channel). We picked up the phone, called Eric Shanks (Fox Sports CEO), we fly to LA and make the Fox deal. And the rest is history," White said. [19:13 - 20:37]
Dana White did explain that what Vince McMahon did was a blessing in disguise. They could have gone bankrupt if they bought the G4 Channel from NBC, and the UFC would not be the powerhouse it is today because of what Vince did.
Roman Reigns breaks his silence on Vince McMahon scandal
For the first time since the lawsuit against Vince McMahon was filed by Janel Grant, Roman Reigns has finally commented on the former WWE Chairman's ouster. Reigns called it "embarrassing" in an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair.
"It's embarrassing. That's stuff you don't want to hear about. You don't want your family to hear about," Reigns said.
Reigns also revealed that Vince has removed himself from anything related to WWE. The last text he received from his former boss was on his birthday last May 25.