The UFC Belgrade press conference had plenty of energy to go around, but one exchange cut through everything else when UFC president Dana White turned on a reporter for asking what appeared to be a completely harmless question.
Near the end of the proceedings, a reporter pointed the microphone toward White and asked during the conference: “Which matches on this card are you looking forward to the most?”
White was not about to let the moment pass. “That is a sh**ty question, my friend,” White said flatly.
White then moved on without naming a single specific contest on the card. Rather than highlight any particular matchup, he kept his answer deliberately broad.
“Listen, obviously everybody’s always excited about the main event. I’m just hoping, I want a few holy s**t moments on Saturday night, so hopefully we get a few of those,” White said.
White’s response quickly drew criticism from fans online, with many questioning his apparent lack of enthusiasm for promoting the UFC’s own event. Some felt the question gave him an easy opportunity to spotlight specific matchups, only for him to dismiss it outright, while others argued that his response reflected a broader sense that he has become increasingly detached from the UFC product.
Jake Paul appeared to sum up his reaction simply by posting, “Nothing else needs to be said.”
MMA reporter Ben Fowlkes also pushed back on White’s dismissal, pointing out that reporters are often told to “talk about the fig hts” when asking about issues surrounding the UFC, making a basic question about the matchups hardly unreasonable.
Ariel Helwani also weighed in on the exchange, questioning whether White genuinely thought the reporter’s question was bad or simply didn’t know enough about the card to give a meaningful answer.
Other fans similarly accused White of appearing detached from the UFC product, with some suggesting his growing focus on boxing has taken attention away from MMA.
The card is headlined by Jairzinho Rozenstruik taking on Daniel Rodriguez in the main event, with both men having spoken at length during the press conference about what they expected from Saturday night.
The co-main event carries enormous local weight, with Serbian fan favorite Aleksandar Rakić competing in front of a home crowd for the first time. Rakić made clear what the occasion meant to him.
The card also features Milos Janicic, Vlasto Čepo, Dushko Todorovic, and a former champion in Petr Yan, giving Serbian and Balkan fans no shortage of reasons to fill the Belgrade Arena.
