Dana White is hopping mad at Roy Nelson and promises fireworks between them as "TUF 10" progresses.
At a gathering of reporters Thursday following the UFC 104 press conference, White fired back at allegations Nelson made of favoritism towards Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson, whom Nelson defeated in the quarterfinals of the show.
In an interview with USA Today following Episode 3 of the show, Nelson said concessions were made with Slice that no other fighter received.
"Kimbo's the only one that I know that had an entourage there; he actually had his family there, his management, while the rest of us kind of had to suffer," said Nelson. "The UFC made, we'll say, different concessions for Kimbo. I think he had a media room."
Meanwhile, Nelson pointed the finger at White, whom he publicly called a "puppet master."
"He's on the show saying we did that show for Spike after, where he's saying Kimbo's list, anything Kimbo put down, he got in minutes," said White on Thursday. "We'd write it down, we wouldn't get it for two days. What a bunch of crybabies. Let me tell you what: not only did Kimbo not get any special treatment on the show... the only difference between Kimbo and all the other guys was that if Kimbo made it into the UFC, he had a bigger contract than the other guys. That's it. I said that the day we did media day before the show even started. It kills me."
White went off on allegations that Kimbo got special communication privileges, particularly, the use of a phone during the show.
"Roy Nelson is a moron," said White. "He's an idiot. The guy really is that dumb. Never once did this guy use the phone to call anybody, and you'll actually see later on as the show progresses, there's a situation that happens where I have to get on the phone, and then I put (Kimbo) on the phone. He didn't get any special privileges, and even if he did, I'D (EXPLETIVE) TELL YOU! You're damn right, we gave special privileges, we pulled seven million viewers with him. If he wants to use the phone, he can use the (expletive) phone. He didn't. We didn't give him any special privileges. Roy Nelson is a moron. Interview him sometime, you'll find out."
Nelson was unavailable for comment on White's remarks.
It's being billed as the biggest fight in Ultimate Fighter's 10-season run... and it probably will be. This Wednesday night, former YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice meets his first test in a UFC-related bout, facing former IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson in the Octagon on The Ultimate Fighter: The Heavyweights...
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia might be making another big move soon--to the land of the Rising Sun.
Sylvia's manager, Monte Cox, confirmed to MMAInsider that Japanese promotions Dream and Sengoku have expressed interest in importing the tree-limbed fighter. No agreements have been signed, but negotiations are ongoing.
Sylvia's non-exclusive deal with Affliction allows the move, although Cox says he would also like to see Sylvia face off with Paul Buentello or Roy Nelson on Affliction's January card--i.e., someone a little less lofty than Fedor Emelianenko--to lay the groundwork for a comeback.
Save for a few marquee names, Dream and Sengoku's heavyweight divisions are paper thin. If Sylvia's in the mood for sushi, he might do some serious damage in Japan.
Copyright 2009 MMA Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of MMA Weekly content is expressly prohibited without expressed written consent of MMA Weekly. MMA Weekly will not be liable for any errors in content or any action taken in reliance thereof.
MMA Insider Blog RSS Feed
