Dana White refutes recent trend ahead of the event and blames the fighters of UFC 304

It was cool while it lasted.

Since UFC 300, fighters and MMA media have began a trend at pre-event press conferences. Someone could be daring enough to suggest to UFC CEO Dana White that bonuses ought to be increased beyond the usual $50,000 to match a numbers theme or to escalate in tandem with a financially successful show.

According to White, we’ll never see him or the promotion give in to those suggestions again. During the post-event press conference on the Co-Op Arena in Manchester, England, for UFC 304, White was asked if fighters are pressuring him to permanently increase bonuses.

“I think tonight proved that we shouldn’t be doing that,” White replied. “Raising them doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make anyone fight harder, it doesn’t change anything. I’m never doing that again. Today was the last day I do that. I’m not saying the bonuses can’t be increased in the future. I’m not going to be at a press conference and say, ‘200 or 300,’ never again for fuck’s sake. You can thank everyone on this card for that.”

Here is the segment:

You can watch your entire press conference below. The above section starts at the three:04 mark.

White accused the fighters on the cardboard of creating too many final rating decisions. “Seven damn decisions in a row” were his exact words throughout the epic rant, clearly showing that White and the UFC place the next priority on fighters who make final scores than men and ladies who consistently fight for victory on points.

Paddy Pimblett, Mick Parkin and Tom Aspinall earned increased bonuses for his or her placings, which is consistent with what White said before and after the event.

Here’s a have a look at all the outcomes from the UFC 304 card, plus the section on the event that White referenced in his post-event comments.

UFC 304 principal card

• Belal Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
• Tom Aspinall defeated Curtis Blaydes by KO after 1:00 in round 1
• Paddy Pimblett defeated Bobby Green by submission after 3:22 in round 1 (triangle choke from bottom guard)
• Gregory Rodrigues defeated Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
• Arnold Allen defeated Giga Chikadze by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

UFC 304 Preliminaries

• Nathaniel Wood defeated Daniel Pineda by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
• Bruna Brasil defeated Molly McCann by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Jake Hadley defeated Caolan Loughran by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Muhammad Mokaev defeated Manel Kape by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

UFC 304: Early preliminary fights

• Oban Elliott defeated Preston Parsons by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Modestas Bukauskas defeats Marcin Prachnio by submission after 3:12 in round 3 (arm triangle)
• Sam Patterson defeated Kiefer Crosbie by submission after 2:50 in round 1 (Arm Triangle)
• Mick Parkin defeated Lukasz Brzeski via KO after 3:23 in round 1
• Shauna Bannon defeated Alice Ardelean by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

All of the preliminary rounds of the center division led to decisions, but only one among these fights was boring. The alleged blood feud between Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape didn’t happen within the Octagon, as many had expected.

As it turned out, the dullest fight of the night would have undoubtedly won if there was a prize for it. That was especially hard to just accept considering how hot each men were before the fight.

The other decisions we have seen have mostly been the results of tough and evenly matched fighters hanging on to the top, or someone like latest UFC champion Belal Muhammad following a strict game plan to win a vital fight.

Although White’s rant was entertaining and lots of fans would really like to see more motion within the fights, as a pure MMA fan for over 30 years, I can definitely appreciate an event like UFC 304.

Aside from the farce between Mokaev and Kape, the fights were spirited and mostly of a high standard. I do know we call the fights fights, but what I at all times wish to bear in mind with MMA or boxing is that these are sporting competitions.

It’s about winning, not losing. Hitting, not getting hit, ought to be the highest priority. I don’t desire great athletes and fighters to not reach their potential because they’ve the responsibility to deliver exciting fights for his or her fans and do not know what it means to win and lose.

White and the UFC could also be treading on tricky ground in the event that they proceed to push athletes to prioritize winning with style over simply winning.