UFC CEO Dana White has been accused of being checked out of the MMA game by a lot of people, but we never expected Darren Till to say it best.
Till was once one of the UFC’s biggest U.K. stars and the promotion gave him a solid push between 2017 and 2020. “The Gorilla” would leave the promotion on a 1-5 skid, asking for and getting his release to heal up and compete in boxing. It’s been an up-and-down experience for Till out in the strange world of influencer boxing, but he now seems settled with
BKFC.
In a new interview with Ariel Helwani, Till went in on his former boss for taking the fans for granted and doing lazy stuff like using A.I. to make promos.
“I just think Dana’s ego is getting a little bit too much out of control,” Till said. “I think he’s totally switched off from the UFC. I don’t even watch the UFC no more, really. I couldn’t tell you half the people who fight on it. The events just aren’t juicy no more. I think they’ve got very few stars left.”
“And I’m pissed off, to be honest, with the media side of things,” he continued. “Every time Dana is in a scrum, it’s like these reporters are scared to say the real thing. And when they do ask questions, Dana is sort of like, ‘Who gives a s–t?’ We give a s–t! I give a s–t, so give us a f–king answer, baldy. And just get your ego, take your ego away. I’m sorry to slag him … We give a s–t, so give us some f–king answers. What are you on about, ‘Who gives a s–t?’ It just annoys me. It’s just too much ego.”
“When have you seen the UFC when they were doing them promos before? Where you’re waiting in the arena and I come up on the screen … there’s airy music behind it and it’s like ‘I’m gonna kill this guy.’ He’s gonna kill me, and we both walk out. Where’s all the promos gone? The Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey where they had classical music behind it and we watched Ronda Rousey grow in judo and lose in the Olympics. Where’s the Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier where it’s fighting demons? Where have they gone?”
“Because when I’m running on the treadmill and I need a bit of motivation, I watch that s–t,” he said. “And when Mike Perry and I fight in Bare Knuckle, I’m going to sit down with David [Feldman] and Conor [McGregor] and go, ‘Right, we’re doing the promo to end all promos. Where’s all that gone? Where’s the Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor promo gone? And you’re just sat there saying ‘Who gives a s–t?’ We give a s–t you fat headed pin.”
White and his production team have said the A.I. promos will continue, which is pretty sad when you consider the UFC has never been making more money than they are now. But we wouldn’t expect that money to filter down to the product. WWE fans are very aware and vocal about the value extraction game parent company TKO is running on their beloved company. UFC fans know something feels wrong, but many haven’t clued into what exactly it is yet.
Maybe it’s that ‘Who gives a s–t’ attitude from the guys running the show.
