White’s comments are in reference to Anderson Silva’s controversial unanimous decision win over Derek Brunson at UFC 208.
UFC President Dana White has confirmed that he had Brunson winning the bout following the end of the third round, in the co-main event in Brooklyn, N.Y on Saturday Night.
While stats certainly confirm that Brunson had more success in the fight, the judges clearly felt differently. While clearly feeling for the American following the decision, White has strongly indicated that the 33-year-old is somewhat accountable for his own misfortune:
“I had Brunson winning,” White said on FS1’s UFC 208 post-fight show. “I actually had the fight one (round) to one going into the third round, and I gave the third round to Brunson.”
“Brunson sent me a text,” White said. “He’s obviously very upset. He said, ‘This is how I support my family, and now I don’t get my win bonus when I feel I won the fight.’ But it’s one of those things. I say it all the time. If you don’t want to get screwed by the judges, don’t let it go to the judges.
“It has nothing to do with me. He can text me, and I can feel for him, but it has nothing to do with me. You have to beat your opponent, and you have the beat the judges unfortunately. That’s the business.”
While the UFC President’s words may appear harsh to some, incentives such as “Fight of the Night” and “Finish of the Night” bonuses aim to encourage fighters to entertain. White’s sentiment may be influenced by an event which failed to deliver on what were modest expectations by most cards’ standards. Nine of the ten fights at UFC 208 went to the judges’ scorecards, which summed up a general lack of excitement which will see it rank towards the bottom end of PPV events in recent UFC history.
