Dana White might not be the biggest fan of soccer. Apart from MMA and Power Slap, it’s rare to see the UFC CEO praising any other sport. However, White recently found himself in a position where he was left with no option but to get excited about soccer.
Dana White recently collaborated with Topps, the premium trading card company. While going through some cards, White stumbled upon a rare card, and after opening it up, everybody was hyped. The card featured Brazilian soccer superstar and Champions League winner Neymar Jr. White was shocked when he discovered that the card was valued at $10,000.
Is it that Neymar guy? I know who this guy is!
Dana White via Instagram
After opening up a few more cards, White announced that he was giving away some of the cards to lucky winners. White had never liked soccer and had previously referred to it as the ‘least talented sport’ in the world. White believed that because even young children could play the sport, it made soccer far less competitive compared to other sports.
Dana White pulled a $10K Neymar card and was HYPED 😭😭
“Is it that Neymar guy? I know who this guy is!”#UFC #MMA #Football pic.twitter.com/DrXncggiDY
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 14, 2024
Recently, White bizarrely claimed that Power Slap has more followers than one of the biggest soccer teams, Real Madrid. White is infamous for making some of the most ridiculous statements over the years, and this was definitely one of them. Nevertheless, not everybody in the UFC is ignorant about soccer.
UFC insider Joe Rogan talks about soccer
The UFC and soccer have significantly different physical demands, strategies, and audience appeal. While soccer has a large global fan base, UFC has developed substantially due to its explosive, adrenaline-fueled action. The UFC athletes compete in intense, high-stakes battles that frequently end in horrific knockouts or submissions.
MMA demands a distinct combination of martial arts skills and conditioning. Soccer, on the other hand, is a global team sport that emphasizes endurance, strategy, and ball control during a 90-minute game. Unlike Dana White, Joe Rogan understood this and talked about it in detail on his podcast.
Soccer is particularly a difficult sport in terms of your cardiovascular function… I mean they are in insane shape and just the demand as a person who works out watching the demand that’s required to the body to be able to perform that way sprinting constantly.
Joe Rogan via JRE
As of now, soccer might not be that popular in the US. However, everywhere else, including Europe, Asia, and South America, its influence is massive. As a new sport, UFC has a huge gap to cover in order to compete with soccer on a global level. The same goes for the superstars in the respective sports.
