“I think the promotion would completely fail. I think it would crash and burn, that’s my opinion. I think Dana does a great job with the promotion. Sometimes we don’t agree on the same things but that’s just between me and him. Like I say, it’s a girlfriend-boyfriend type of relationship, him being the girlfriend of course… Dana does a great job with what he does and that’s why the company is worth four billion dollars. Lorenzo [Fertitta] has stepped in and is doing an amazing job – from stepping down from Station Casinos – for what he does now. And giving the opportunity to Cris, I’m very thankful for that. But at the end of the day this is a business to them and if they’re able to sell it off for four billion, do what’s needed. I gave my heart and soul, blood, sweat, and tears to the company. I’ve gone on with my business and that’s the way it is. I think if the Chinese company didn’t bring Dana in it would crash and burn. It would be a lost cause but I guess it’s up to Dana to make those decisions.”
-Tito Ortiz talks to RJ Clifford and Steve Cofield on SiriusXM Rush Fight Club about reports of a UFC sale and why he thinks Dana White needs to remain with the organization for it to continue (transcribed by MMAFighting.com).
Penick’s Analysis: It’s interesting to see Ortiz backing White, but not necessarily surprising. They’ve had a contentious relationship from the outset, one which has ebbed and flowed throughout both of their runs in the sport. Still, Ortiz has been around long enough to have a valid take on the whole of the White and Fertittas reign over the organization. Now, I don’t know that things would go to hell just by White’s absence, and it seems Lorenzo Fertitta leaving could be the bigger blow in 2016, but obviously there’s a lot they’ve done with White as the face and figurehead of the organization. We won’t know what things can look like without them until they’re gone, though, so unless or until anything changes, it’s simply something upon which to speculate.
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