Notorious UFC streaming site challenges Dana White on ‘prosecution threat’ to combat piracy

There have been numerous instances of illegal streaming targeting top sports events. It happens on a large scale, and the UFC has been a victim of this problem for years. Recently, UFC CEO Dana White spoke out against piracy and illegal streaming sites with a threat. Interestingly, a popular site has challenged the UFC CEO in response to this.

Dana White is well acquainted with the detrimental impact of illegal streaming. Consequently, he has consistently expressed concerns about this issue during his press conferences. Most recently, he declared publicly, openly issuing threats to all pirated streaming sites. In response to these statements from the CEO of UFC, Streameast intervened and criticized White through a series of tweets.

Streameast is a popular site that provides coverage of a variety of sports, including MMA and boxing. Following White’s comments, Streameast appeared unhappy. In fact, the streaming site even attempted to provoke the UFC CEO. As such, they wanted Dana White to try prosecuting them.

Streameast justified its involvement in illegal streaming by pointing out the high costs of pay-per-view events. Per the streaming site, the high cost restricts access for the general public. Interestingly, the platform chose to stream illegally to mitigate those financial challenges. Moreover, to make high-grossing events accessible to everyone.

Interestingly, Dana White explains the PPV price hike fiasco differently. As such, he blames the illegal streaming sites for the increased cost of PPVs. Moreover, White also believes that the sole reason why UFC fighters are paid low is because of the pirated sites. However, in one instance, the heated rivalry between UFC and illegal streaming sites took a massive turn. As such, the promotion slapped a pirate with a million-dollar lawsuit.

Dana White’s UFC taps out an illegal streamer

In April 2014, the UFC and Dana White filed a lawsuit against 27-year-old Steven Messina. The company sought around $32 million in damages, as reported by the New York Post. The company alleged that Messina had uploaded 141 UFC events to file-sharing platforms such as Pirate Bay. In addition, the promotion asserted that a PayPal donation link was utilized to perpetuate these wrongful actions.

Dana White and UFC settled a lawsuit with an online pirate who traded UFC files at Pirate Bay (Image via Imago/X)

Although Messina denied the accusations at first, later, he confessed to his illegal behavior. Not only that, the 27-year-old even apologized for his actions through his attorney, Michael Heitmann. The settlement figure paid to White and UFC was not disclosed. Messina was also forced to surrender his computer hardware and software to UFC representatives.

I apologize to the UFC for any damages incurred as a result of my actions in illegally distributing copyrighted UFC broadcasts. As a result of my confession for piracy of UFC’s protected content, I fully accept the terms of the settlement with the UFC.
Steven Messina’s official confession statement