Following UFC 327 in Miami, Dana White addressed a range of topics at the post-bout press conference, including a question about a possible boxing match between himself and Tito Ortiz. This idea had apparently gained renewed momentum during the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul event.
A reporter asked White whether he had heard that Ortiz reached out to Lorenzo Fertitta during the Tyson-Paul matchup in an attempt to revive the long-discussed bout between the two. White initially appeared confused by the suggestion.
“When what happened?” he asked.
After the reporter clarified the situation, White acknowledged that he had heard something along those lines, though he made it clear he did not take the idea too seriously.
“You know what? I think Lorenzo did say something like that. Yeah, I’m 56 years old. I’m going to be 57 in July. I struggle to get out of bed every day. Okay. But yeah, I vaguely remember something like that. I think so,” he said.
The reporter then pointed out that White remains a high-profile figure who could, in theory, place someone like Ortiz on a major card, such as the proposed White House event, if he wanted to.
“Well, Tito’s dumb as h*ll, but Tito’s not a p****. Eddie Hearn’s a p****. Eddie Hearn ain’t boxing anybody. Posting pictures of himself hitting the speed bag. It looks like it’s in slow motion. Yeah, f**k Eddie Hearn,” White said.
White then shifted the conversation to how he realistically views himself in the context of an actual card, emphasizing that neither he nor Hearn belongs anywhere near the top of the bill.
“Let me tell you what, if that did happen, me and Eddie Hearn are bums. We would be the first match of the night. These guys are talking like we’re going to headline some card or something like that. Bums, okay. Whoever was talented on that card should be insulted if he and I were anywhere near any other slot other than the first match of the night. And it shouldn’t even be on TV,” he said.
The reporter followed up by asking whether Turki Al-Sheikh had attempted to promote the match, suggesting that serious offers might already be on the table. White confirmed that interest had indeed come from multiple directions.
A reporter asked White: “Did Turki make you an offer?”
White replied, “Of course they did. Yeah, people are throwing offers around everywhere.”
