Dana White clarifies UFC middleweight title picture: “Never once did I say we’re going to do this f*cking rematch”
The UFC middleweight division isn’t short on contenders, and Dana White is well aware of it.
At the conclusion of UFC 293, the 185-pound division was turned upside down with one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Sean Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to become the new UFC middleweight champion. With how dominant Strickland looked in the fight, it left many to wonder if the UFC would forgo an immediate rematch in favor of a fresh matchup.
During the UFC 293 post-fight press conference, Dana White told reporters that an immediate rematch sounded intriguing. White never confirmed that this was set in stone, but some of the stories he’s read has left him shaking his head.
Dana White Clears The Air On UFC Middleweight Title Hunt
Following Dana White’s Contender Series week six of season seven, the UFC CEO made it clear that there are plenty of routes the UFC can take for Strickland’s first title challenger. He also took a dig at websites that used his comments as a report claiming that the rematch is set (via MMAJunkie).
“If you remember that night, people said, ‘Well, what do you think? You think there’s a rematch?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, the rematch sounds great,’” White told reporters inside the UFC Apex. “I saw the stupid f*cking sh*t that was written by all these stupid f*cking websites.
“Never once did I say, ‘Yes, we’re going to f*cking do this rematch.’ I said, ‘Yeah, rematch sounds – you know, we’ll see what happens.’ There’s obviously lots of options out there, and we’ll see what happens. But, yes, I’m still not opposed to an Israel rematch. We’ll see how it goes.”
Topics:
Dana White Israel Adesanya Sean Strickland
