Dana White is “terrified” of doing outdoor MMA events, which is why we still don’t have UFC Hawaii.
That said, the UFC CEO is willing to make an exception for UFC White House on the super-expensive south lawn next month in Washington, DC. Mostly because it gives White and Co. the opportunity to work with longtime friend and current U.S. President Donald Trump, the promotion’s “Combatant In Chief.”
But there’s more to worry about than just weather.
“Another problem that I always think about, especially
on the East Coast, bugs,” White told Boardroom (via Home of Fight). “President Trump just opened the Rose Garden two nights ago and he invited me to dinner there. The amount of gnats that were flying around … I’m like, ‘Holy sh*t.’ As soon as I got on the plane, I called my head production and said, ‘Yeah, let me tell you about the gnat situation tonight.’”
Host Rich Kleiman compared it to the Joba Chamberlain fiasco back in late 2007.
“So when you’re a fighter, think about that lighting grid, the claw that we’re gonna have, the amount of power in the lights,” White continued. “Moths, gnats, and God knows what else — fighters trying to deal with that. In your mouth, up your nose while you’re trying to fight. Maybe we put fans in because gnats have a hard time with the wind. These are all the little details that we have to think about. That’s why I don’t like fighting outside. Ever.”
You don’t need fans, you need the Orkin Man.
This opens the door for “I had bugs up my nose” to join “I got hurt in training camp” and “it was too hot” to the MMA lexicon of post-fight excuses. I’m not sure how you can set up giant fans without the entire show sounding like a jet engine, but I guess it beats an electrified Octagon.
Call in the dragonflies (or the Rough Necks)!
