Dana White doesn’t take any prisoners when it comes to anyone criticizing the UFC. White has been in the fight business for over twenty years and doesn’t like when someone trashes his multi-billion dollar business. Recently, PFL co-founder Donn Davis made certain statements, and as expected, White was not impressed by all that.
PFL recently held their biggest pay-per-view event of 2024, headlined by former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Donn Davis went on to claim that they broke the viewership record of all the UFC events this year. In response, the UFC CEO channeled his inner Will Smith and gave Davis a reality check involving many stats.
First of all, the PFL should keep the UFC out of their mouth. They can’t even deal with Power Slap. Power Slap destroys PFL…Powerslap has 19.2 million followers, PFL has 10 million. Video views: PFL fight week did 326 million, Power Slap 8 did 690 million.
Dana White via UFC 308 pre-fight presser
White is extremely proud of Power Slap and often throws in random numbers like this to prove his point. According to White, Power Slap is valued at over $750 million and has more followers than the world’s biggest sports teams. However, over time, many fans have called out the 55-year-old for his outrageous claims.
Dana White responds to Donn Davis’ recent comments:
First of all, the PFL should keep the #UFC out of their mouth. They can’t even deal with Power Slap. Power Slap destroys PFL. pic.twitter.com/O4vI8YJKL4
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) October 24, 2024
White had long dismissed the PFL’s business moves, showing no concern when they acquired Bellator, claiming neither could sell tickets. He’s spent years building the UFC into a premier brand with the best fighters and fans. However, PFL’s Donn Davis aims to change that, seeking to disrupt White’s dominance and transform the MMA scene.
Donn Davis exposes Dana White over recent fighter transfer from PFL to UFC
Donn Davis’ PFL was founded in 2018 with the objective of creating a fighter-first fighting league. From the start, their intentions to clash with UFC were clear, and Davis didn’t shy away from criticizing it. One of the biggest power moves that PFL achieved was successful roping in Francis Ngannou after he left UFC.
On the other hand, UFC got former two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison to their bantamweight division. White was pleased with the deal and mocked PFL for losing out one of their best fighters. In response, Davis accused Harrison of running away from tough competition without fair reason.
We made her an offer to be extremely high paid and to spend her whole career here, and to do anything she wanted. I have a huge amount of respect and basically offered her a blank check and a blank ticket, not just economically but post her career. Dana never says that. That’s because we wanted her.
Donn Davis via MMA Fighting
PFL co-founder Donn Davis joined @MikeHeck_JR to clarify his “Kayla Harrison ran to the UFC” comments:
“We basically offered a blank check. … We offered bigger fights here than she has at UFC.” pic.twitter.com/lwj6Blp815
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 24, 2024
Despite UFC’s market share and overwhelming resources, Davis has no plans to back out from the battle. The co-founder believes UFC vs. PFL is the new-age version of the iconic Pepsi vs. Coke clash. While the UFC looks like a clear winner, it would be interesting to see what Davis has in mind to fight against the MMA giant.
