Dana White Defends UFC's Heavy Use of Interim Titles
UFC President Dana White continues to receive criticism for the promotion’s insistence on handing out interim belts while a division’s champion is sidelined, but he’s perfectly willing to explain the thought process behind the practice.
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At the UFC 236 post-fight press conference, White used the occasion to double-down on the promotions decision to persist with interim belts claiming they mean more to the fighters which in-turn gives the fans a better product (transcribed by MMANews.com):
“I’m going to tell you because I’m going to take another swing at the idiots that don’t like interim belts, there’s probably some of you in this room, too,” White said at the UFC 236 postfight press conference. “But here’s the reality -- when more is on the line -- could you imagine if Israel Adesanya versus Kelvin Gastelum was a three round co-main event? Even the Poirier fight, the main event if it wasn’t a five round fight. These titles mean something to them.
“So when you go in there and there’s a belt on the line and you know what’s next. ‘Cause now Israel, and I’m sure many of you saw it tonight, Israel’s flashy, Israel’s a good looking kid, Israel speaks really well -- Israel became a star tonight. Israel Adesanya became a star tonight. People are going to be talking about that fight for a month.”
White stressed that because all four men who competed in the fights had something tangible to aim for the spectacle was better for it.
“It’s about what’s on the line,” White said. “You know how bad Israel wanted to win that fight? You know how bad Gastelum wanted to win that fight? Watch it. Watch the fight. That’s how bad they both wanted it. There’s real stakes. There’s something on the line. Now if you’re Israel Adesanya, you’re lined up -- we had to wait for Gastelum before and we had to wait for Whittaker to come back -- now Israel Adesanya comes out and he’s got a belt, he already beat Gastelum, he doesn’t have to wait for Gastelum and he gets pay-per-view [points]. How does this not make sense to anybody?
“Israel Adesanya was on vacation,” White added. “He left vacation to come take this fight because he understands what’s at stake here and what he can get. The same thing for Max, you heard Max all week, he wanted to be a double champ, he wants legacy, he wants people to know his name when he’s long gone and he wants two belts and there’s more money involved in that, too.”
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