UFC CEO Dana White discusses the possibility of signing Bellator fighters Johnny Eblen and Patricio Pitbull

By Susan Cox - September 27, 2023

UFC CEO Dana White is discussing the possibility of signing Bellator fighters Johnny Eblen and Patricio Pitbull.

Dana White

Eblen (14-0 MMA) is the current Bellator middleweight champion.

Pitbull (35-7 MMA) is a three-time Bellator featherweight champion and former Bellator lightweight champion.

Rumors have been floating around that the PFL is going to finalize a deal to buy Bellator.

Dana White has spoken previously, after the UFC’s ‘Contender Series’, about that possibility, saying:

“Why on God’s green f***ing Earth would anybody buy Bellator?  So what we were just talking about with business and making the right moves and making the right decisions, there’s been lots of bad ones — Bellator would be one of the f***ing biggest.”

During a recent video White was asked directly about the possibility of Eblen or Patricio joining the UFC, should Bellator fold.

In a post to ‘X‘ by Jed I. Goodman, when Dane White was asked about the Bellator rumors once again, and whether they may just be going under completely, he replied:

“I haven’t really heard that, and I don’t really know a lot about what’s going on with that whole thing. I think I gave my opinion on that a couple of months ago.”

Continuing, White said:

“I never really thought it made sense in the first place. I don’t want to underestimate Blockbuster or Netflix. I never got it.”

As far as the UFC’s interest in Bellator, Dana White said:

“If we were even remotely interested in Bellator, we would have been a bidder. There’s nothing really at Bellator that’s really interested me.”

“As far as I know the PFL deal is happening.”

When asked if White would be interested in obtaining maybe even 2 fighters from Bellator, he replied:

“Who knows. It’s nothing I’ve been thinking about. We’ll see how that whole thing plays out.”

It was Patricio Pitbull, 36, who came out last week saying he would like to finish off his career with the UFC.

Obviously, Dana White is being closed mouth about what he may or may not really know, and whether he would be interested in signing some fighters to the UFC given the opportunity.

Would you like to see fighters like Johnny Eblen and Patricio Pitbull join the ranks of the UFC?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!


Topics:

Dana White UFC