The sports world is home to numerous influential figures from across the globe. Some of these individuals function as team owners, while others hold executive positions. However, the current spotlight is on two prominent personalities in the sporting community: Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Dana White, the CEO of the UFC.
We were at a club in Vegas and just started talking sh*t to each other for whatever reason because remember like I told you with (Donald) Trump, I was doing the MMA stuff and it kind of competed and so there were a fighters like Fedor (Emelianenko) who didn’t fight for Dana… They were coming to me and we were starting to put together some fights, and for whatever reasons we got into it.
Mark Cuban via FLAGRANT podcast
The potential conflict between the UFC CEO and the Dallas Mavericks owner stemmed from the Russian MMA fighter Fedor Emelianenko. Cuban mentioned that a conversation between him and White, while they were both drunk, led to tension because the latter didn’t like the Russian fighter at the time. Despite this, Cuban and Dana have a great relationship.
Besides White, Cuban seemingly had disagreements within and around the UFC. One notable one was with the popular UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Cuban and Rogan engaged in a heated debate about the infamous vaccine controversy. However, it seems that everything between the billionaire and the UFC may be peaceful now. As such, he even praised the UFC CEO’s ruthless work ethic.
When Dana White berated Fedor Emelianenko after the latter’s retirement announcement
The UFC has been at the pinnacle of the combat sports industry for over two decades. The promotion has introduced several top fighters to the world, some of whom now hold millionaire status and often show off their extravagant lifestyle. However, not every fighter has been lucky enough to find themselves fighting for the organization. One such fighter was Fedor Emelianenko.
Emelianenko boasted an exquisite professional MMA record of 40-7 until his retirement. However, back in the 2000s, he boasted an astonishing undefeated record, which made him quite popular. Despite discussions about Emelianenko joining the UFC at that time, he never signed with them. Years later, after announcing his retirement, UFC CEO Dana White discussed why the signing never happened.
I don’t dislike Fedor or anything like that. We gave it a shot and it didn’t happen… I don’t wanna sh*t on the guy but you guys know me. Even in my old interview I never thought Fedor was that (GOAT). The guy got knocked out by Dan Henderson, a middleweight.
Dana White via UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac Press Conference
White mentioned Emelianenko’s loss to Dan Henderson, where he suffered a brutal knockout, as a reason. After that, the Russian fighter competed for several other promotions. Following a career of more than two decades, Emelianenko retired from the sport in 2023.
