Oscar de la Hoya Calls Dana White A Bully, Talks Working On Something Big In MMA
Oscar de la Hoya recently dove head-first into MMA with Golden Boy MMA, which didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The main event saw Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz — two yesteryear champions who should not be mentioned in the same breath today — fight each other in the main event. It quickly became evident why the fans didn’t want “Iceman” to return, and according to Ortiz, the promotion is no more.
However, de la Hoya, while admitting that the first event wasn’t as groundbreaking as he would’ve imagined, said that he isn’t done with MMA. Talking on the Barstool Radio, Oscar gave his two cents about Golden Boy MMA, and his plans for the sport.
“I tried…actually I am getting into MMA and I am working on something very exciting and I am sure I am going to get a lot of heat from Dana White”, he said (transcript via MMA Mania). “But this creates opportunity. You have Bellator and UFC, who want to monopolize the whole industry with Dana White being the cheerleader. But there is always room for another player”.
Oscar de la Hoya said that he was proud of his first effort, and gave his thoughts on opportunities in MMA.
“We did an MMA show that was successful. A lot of people loved it. It was two name fighters, over the hill, I believe, in Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. But it was just a great atmosphere and a great event”, he added. “So I told myself, ‘We have something here.’ We know how to promote and we know the industry. So we are working on something big right now.”
Oscar and UFC president Dana White aren’t big fans of each other. While de la Hoya has taken digs at Dana for not paying his fighters well, White hasn’t had great things to say about the former boxing world champion either.
“He’s (White) is what we call a bully. He is one of those guys that has to bully you to get his way. That’s’ the bottom line. Why do you think a lot of his fighters aren’t happy with their contracts or how they get treated?” said Oscar, who went on to hail the Fertitta brothers for UFC’s success.
“Look, I obviously admire what the Fertitta’s brothers have accomplished and what they did and where they took the company. Obviously it wasn’t Dana White. It’s the Fertitta brothers who have the brains who took this company to a whole new level and sold it off for $4 billion”, he said. “Dana White was just the best friend of the brain child. But look, what he’s done is great and I respect him.”
When asked who’s win in a boxing and MMA fight between himself and White, de la Hoya said he’d beat Dana in boxing, but that the UFC president would get the better of him in an MMA fight.
“I would be the shit out of him. Come on man, are you kidding me”, laughed “The Golden Boy” while talking about a boxing match between the two. “Not in the Octagon, he’ll beat the crap out of me.”
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