While Saturday night’s UFC 205 event was the biggest night in UFC history featuring the biggest main event fight in UFC history, just five years ago this week Dana White was boasting the same thing about UFC’s debut on Fox broadcast network and its main event, Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasequez. Here are two stories we published on those two Dana White quotes…
Dana White – Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos on Fox the “biggest fight in UFC history”
Dana White and the UFC are putting their absolute best foot forward for their debut on Fox this Saturday night, bringing a massive Heavyweight Championship fight to network television. While the organization could have gone any number of routes with this debut event, White believes this was the perfect fight, and said on Wednesday’s media conference call that there isn’t another bout he would have put together ahead of this one for their debut.
“This is without a doubt the biggest fight in UFC history,” he said. “This thing started as a small fringe sport and has grown to what it is today. This Saturday night as we step out onto FOX, millions of people will see UFC who’ve never watched before. As we take this step forward into what we call ‘mainstream,’ we were much more fortunate in that we were able to hand pick a fight that we wanted to put on FOX. If I had to do it all over again, this is still the fight I’d pick to put on network television.”
Dana White urges fans to take part in a moment in sports history with UFC on Fox debut
The UFC will make history this Saturday night with their first ever event on network television. With Cain Velasquez defending his UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior dos Santos, the organization is expecting to make a major splash on Fox, and both Fox and the UFC have pulled out major stops for the fight.
UFC President Dana White, in a piece he penned for the Chicago Sun-Times, equated Saturday’s fight to several moments in sporting history, and urged fans to be a part of history themselves with the broadcast.
“Regardless of the year, the teams or the outcome, sports give us an outlet and an opportunity to be a part of history,” White wrote. “It’s something we can tell our kids about decades later, something we relive with our buddies over beers as we recount where we were and how our lives have changed since.
“In just a few days, we at the Ultimate Fighting Championship are presenting fans across the world with another opportunity to be a part of sports history. This Saturday, live and free on FOX from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., the UFC heavyweight championship of the world will be decided when undefeated Cain Velasquez defends his crown against knockout artist and number one contender Junior dos Santos.”
White believes this fight to be a return to the “glory days” of combat sports on television, with the Heavyweight Championship being contested on free television. Additionally, he assures boxing fans that they won’t miss out on Manny Pacquiao’s fight Saturday night, either, as the UFC event will end prior to that fight’s beginning. Finally, he ended his piece with one last call to fans.
“We’re bringing live sporting events on network television to the next level. We wouldn’t want you to miss out.”
Penick’s Analysis: This could very well be one of those moments, and one of those events where fans look back and ask “where were you when…?” It has the potential to be the best Heavyweight Championship fight in the UFC’s – and even the sport’s – history, and it almost assuredly going to be the most watched MMA fight ever. This is a huge event for the UFC, and those that don’t tune in will definitely be missing out.
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