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00:00Do you put Dana White in the same conversation with Bob Arum and Don King
00:05when it comes to promoting of a sport?
00:07Because he has been the centerpiece of the growth of UFC.
00:10I mean, look at where – I mean, they were dying on the vine years and years ago
00:14when it came to finances.
00:16And like you just said, look at that deal that they signed.
00:19They're on, I believe, Paramount now with all the outlets that they can watch, UFC now.
00:24So, I mean, do you put Dana White in that conversation?
00:29I put him above those two, and I'll tell you why I do.
00:33You know, he – Dana went into a sport that did not exist, you know,
00:3810 years before he got into it, right?
00:40It was a sport that was on the verge of bankruptcy when he bought into it.
00:46And most people never heard of it.
00:48Like literally most people never had heard of it.
00:52And guys, you know, when they would wrestle and do jiu-jitsu and do grappling,
00:56now everybody understands it.
00:58But back in those days, you know, like forget about understanding it.
01:02They never heard of it, so they didn't know what was going on.
01:05And so, yeah, I think he's better because look where he brought the UFC from.
01:12You know, when Don – you know, Don had no experience.
01:14You know, Don was a numbers runner, right?
01:16You know, Don was a dude in Cleveland running around to bars and getting numbers,
01:21doing numbers.
01:22And, you know, not a lot of people, I guess, remember numbers now.
01:25But back, you know, I grew up in Pittsburgh, and that was a big thing, you know, back there.
01:29And that was a way to life.
01:31And, you know, so Don had a unique intro.
01:35But, you know, he was going into a sport where Muhammad Ali was still competing.
01:38And there were a lot of – it was an established sport with a lot of big stars when he
01:42went in.
01:43Same thing with Bob Arum.
01:44You know, both of them great promoters, legendary figures, and among the biggest figures in modern sports history.
01:51But you think of where Dana White took the UFC from and where he brought it and where it is
01:58today.
01:59I think, you know, you say he has exceeded what they've done.
02:03Absolutely.
02:04My favorite UFC fighter is Khabib because I was an old wrestler back in the day,
02:10and any time he got you on the ground, it was over.
02:13And he goes like this, I'm going to kill you, boy.
02:16One of the greatest lines in the history of UFC, I'm going to punish your boy.
02:22I mean, I love Khabib.
02:24Greatest UFC fighter ever, or do you go St. Pierre or maybe someone else?
02:29You know, Jon Jones, I mean, I think, you know, they have about five or seven fighters that you could
02:35say are right there.
02:37You know, Islam Mahachev right now, it has to be in that conversation.
02:40But when you look at what Jon Jones has done, and really, you know, Jon, he won the light heavyweight
02:46title, excuse me, in 2011.
02:48And he was still relevant up through last year, you know, a 14-year run at light heavyweight and heavyweight.
02:54You know, and what made it incredibly amazing is the problems he had with his life outside of fighting, right?
03:03You know, you think a lot of times these fighters have to be in great shape and live this pristine
03:07life.
03:08And Jon was like nuts, and he's not on, you know, and he had so many issues and, you know,
03:13accidents and, you know, drugs and all these different things.
03:16How good would he have been had he not done any of that?
03:19He's still the greatest of all time, and he did all that.
03:23So, I mean, I think Jon, but you put, you know, you put Habib in there, you put GSP in
03:28there, Anderson Silva has to be up there, Demetrius Johnson.
03:32And I think, you know, two guys from today, Islam Mahachev is ahead of Ilya Toporia, but Toporia is also
03:38showing he is going to be a guy that I think will be in that conversation in the not too
03:44distant future.
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