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I've only been watching the UFC for the last couple of years or so, and if there's one thing I've noticed (aside from the possibility that Anderson Silva is a robot), it's that Dana White is ferociously passionate about his sport, and more so his company. Since the historic UFC 100 took place on July 11, 2009, there has been a fair bit of controversy surrounding Dana White and EA Sports. Okay, so this type of thing isn't all that alarming considering White is involved, but some of White's opinions concerning his fighters and the video game industry have raised some eyebrows.
White has learned that EA Sports has their own Mixed Martial Arts game in the works after, according to White, they wouldn't even talk to him about developing a UFC game because MMA "is not a sport," and that they "would not get involved with something like this." EA naturally, is claiming that they have been working on their MMA title for two years. Due to EA's rejection, White has a very simple stance on any UFC fighters wanting to have their likeness used in EA's game: "You won't be in the UFC." Seems pretty harsh, but there's a few layers to this issue.
Layer #1: Is Dana White exploiting his fighters? I don't think that any major sports league's owner has done more for their sport in the last 25 years. The UFC used to be a side-show. It was 'Bloodsport' come to life. Under White's supervision the rules and policies of the UFC have done a lot to ensure fighter safety while making MMA profitable for everybody involved, INCLUDING THE FIGHTER. I think White realizes that he still can't sign his fighters to the massive contracts that other sports do, so he's fighting to make sure that they are going to get paid for what they are doing.
Layer #2: Dana White cares. Of this, I have no doubt. In the article he talked about wanting to make sure that the fighters are getting the royalties that they deserve, and that if they're in the game, "they're in it for…life." I can respect that. However, I don't think he sees that a sports game is only as good as its roster is up-to-date. Yeah, it's great to be able to play a throwback fight every once in a while, but it's only great when you are using historic fighters. Ten years from now, people are still going to want to be Chuck Lidell, but I sincerely doubt that anybody's going to not buy the newest version of the game because it doesn't have Clay 'The Carpenter' Guida. Also, nobody buys a sports title brand new once it's more than two years old, so while they may still get some royalties for that year or two, that's about all a lot of these guys are going to get. There aren't a ton of fighters that are at the top of their game for a very long time, and once they're over-the-hill I don't think they'll be in many more games in the franchise.
Layer #3: Dana White demands loyalty while being fiercely loyal. If you doubt that, go talk to Brock Lesnar. After his victory in UFC 100, Lesnar went on his now-infamous tirade in which he disrespected the crowd, his opponent, (UFC Sponsor) Bud Light , and pretty much everyone else except for White himself. White was not happy about this and right after went to the locker room and read Lesnar the proverbial riot act. The result: the 265-pound man-mountain Lesnar came out to the press conference with his tail between his legs…holding a bottle of Bud Light.
So, since THQ is the company that wanted to get a UFC game out there, and believed in the product, White's going to do whatever he can to make sure that EA Sports' MMA game is going to fail. If that means not having his fighters in the game, then so be it.
Layer #4: Dana White is nuts. Now, when I say Dana White is nuts, I don't mean that in a bad way. You could call him nuts or you could call him passionate. I think he's straddling the line. He bleeds UFC. That's all there is to it. When he feels that his company has been wronged, you are going to get it from him with both barrels. He landed in some hot water after an expletive laden, non-PC (or is that P-in-C?) tirade against Sherdog.com reporter Loretta Hunt. She had some negative comments about the UFC inability to get fighters' managers and representatives enough back-stage passes, claiming this was an attempt by the UFC to separate fighters from their business representatives. EA Sports also didn't give the UFC the respect he feels it deserves, and White has gone to the extreme measure of keeping his guys, who are for the most part the most popular fighters out there, out of EA's game.
Layer #5: Is Dana White full of shit? I don't think so. I think he might tweak the truth a little bit and exaggerate here and there at times in order to emphasize his point. Seriously though, what person in a position of power doesn't? I also think that sometimes he gets so heated about what he's talking about that he occasionally loses control of what comes out of his mouth. With White though, honestly, I think you get what he gives you. I think it's the fact that he is so frank that throws people off.
Dana White sees what a big opportunity it is to have a successful UFC MMA game out on the market. I'm sure the UFC fighters do as well. White's passion for his company comes first and it looks like he's not afraid to use the UFC fighters to exhibit that. If the fighters feel that they are being denied their right to make money off of royalties from a video game, then White has no problem letting them leave. I think he would rather not have fighters that are more worried about money than they are about competing anyway. Because when it comes down to it, would an athlete rather be known to sports fans for competing at the highest level, or would they rather be known for being in the most popular video game?
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