A week prior to the most important 72-hour period in MMA history, it’s only fitting that Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White hit up the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., for the ol’ Worldwide Leader Carwash, popping up to do his P.T. Barnum routine on a slate of ESPN properties, from “First Take” and “SportsCenter” to Dan Le Batard’s radio show. Now, this next part might be difficult to believe, but some folks were rankled by what the UFC boss had to say.
In honesty, White’s battery of media appearances went well. We’re a week out from one of the most important weeks in the history of Zuffa’s UFC ownership, plus a slew of international UFC events; and even under controlled circumstances, removed from the psychological and emotional toll of such an intensive promotional effort, White is liable to say anything ranging from off-message to borderline insane in an effort to pump up a fight.