If there are two enemies of UFC President Dana White that reside in the boxing world, it would be former fighter turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya and promoter Bob Arum.
The UFC returns to action next weekend with UFC 249 and De La Hoya has nothing but praise for White as he runs events during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I commend and respect Dana,” De La Hoya said on the State Of Combat podcast (via Nolan King of MMA Junkie). “We did have our differences. When I wanted to get involved with the MMA, I did Chuck Liddell (vs.) Tito Ortiz. It was a huge success. I dipped my toes into the water, and I experienced it. It was actually wonderful. I love the MMA. Dana came out and criticized me and ridiculed me and all that stuff. You know what? Dana is doing a phenomenal job in defending his sport, growing his sport, and he’s doing it big. He’s doing it great, man. I commend him.”
One person who has had multiple back and forth moments with White over the years is the aforementioned Arum,
Arum, who has stopped running boxing events during the coronavirus pandemic, is accusing White of having cowboy behavior during the pandemic.
“Good luck to them,” Arum told Boxing Scene. “I just hope that they’re not endangering the safety of anyone. But this kind of cowboy behavior doesn’t do anybody any good. We’re looking now with Nevada, which we’ll do in a sensible way, or California. We’re working with (Nevada Athletic Commission executive diretor) Bob Bennett and (California State Athletic Commission executive officer) Andy Foster, and we’re talking to the Texas commission. We’re only gonna do this if it’s safe for the fighters and everyone involved, and if it’s approved by the medical authorities. We’re not gonna be cowboys, like Dana White. I don’t wanna get politics involved, but I have really very little respect for Dana and what he’s doing.”
UFC 249 is the start of a major run for the UFC, as the promotion will hold three events in one week, ending with UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris.
