Dana White on Stipe Miocic grudge against him and the UFC.

[jimbob27]

Stipe doesn't really seem to understand how prize fighting works. It's not fair and it never has been. It can't be compared to sports where people compete every single week. They compete about twice a year, so the promoters tend to favor the guys who make a lot of money.

 

[Fight Professor]

I feel like Stipe knows that he is not marketable but has no idea how to fix it or even communicate his issues to the UFC.

 

[VinceArch]

Dana doesn't even put the belt on Stipe, it's clear he doesn't think of him much.

 

[AP_RESURRECTION]

"I think he feels like it took him a very long time to get his title shot and he felt it took him longer than it should have."

Well, you told him he wasn't getting a title shot yet because he wasn't "popular" enough, Dana. Not because he didn't deserve one, because he wasn't a big enough name. For a guy that grew up playing umpteen sports, it's a weird concept that getting a shot at the finals in your sport is more like running for prom king. And once you got off to that footing...well, as one of Croatian blood myself, I can testify that we can cherish and nourish a good grudge.

Haha, sherdog is grea about remembering all this. Dana doesnt expect people to remember everything he said like this.

 

[Final Say]

Dana playing dumb

He's smart enough to see things from Stipe's perspective

But he's a politician

 

[mooseman17]

If Stipe woulda changed his name to something more "American sounding" he woulda been a bigger star
This dudes a firefighter from the midwest, the general public woulda been all over that, but they hear the name and instantly think hes some weirdo from the Eastern Block and dont pay any attention to him

To be fair, they were trying to hype a guy named Francis Ngannou. But yes, Steven Michaels, would have sold like hotcakes.

 

[TriangleMonkey]

Hes right

Brock was the payday steak for the winner

Stipe be happy as fuck if the tables were turned and he beat DC. Paid for life. Early retirement payday.

 

[Deleted member 510653]

Well Dana wanted Francis to win that fight and Stipe beat him and what I found interesting was Dana playing match maker right after Ngannou loses and tells reporters he wants to make DC vs. Stipe next.

The guy just beat Francis who EVERYONE thought was going to waste Miocic and before Stipe could even get a good nights sleep following his victory asshole Dana has to sick company man Cormier after him because Stipe derailed the Francis hype train and wouldn't let Dana put the belt around him.

See, Dana does stuff like that. The guy always contradicts himself "Oh, I don't make fights right after the fight" well you did with Stipe that night. Let the guy enjoy his victory at least for at least a night.

And Stipe also had issues with his pay and Dana didn't like that either. He yelled at Dana for his title shot too.. So they don't like each other. I think Stipe had legitimate reasons to feel the way he did and Dana didn't like him personally and thought other hws were more marketable.. That's just my 2 cents on the matter.

 

[MRT]

No disrespect but we've Brock ready for the winner, lol.

well, yeah...?

Stipe is prob mad/sad that he is not getting the Brock pay day.

well, I would be too...but it's not Dana or the UFC's fault that Stipe lost to DC to lose out on that pay day...or that Brock = a million PPV buys, while Stipe does not.

Brock's immediate shot is complete bullshit...but if everyone doesn't know by now that superstars drive PPV numbers, which drive profits, which motivate matchmaking...where have they been for the past 5+ years???

 

[Raknesh]

Stipe was never his friend.

 

[Credo]

Who´s this Stipe anyway?

 

[Ruhler]

Stipe also puts very little effort into promoting a fight, or being marketable. No, the athletes don't have to all act like McGregor, but when you have to personality of a dead moth it shouldn't come as a surprise that you aren't being promoted heavily.

The UFC can only work with what they're given after all. They would have no reason not to want to promote their HW champion. Stipe wants to get all the promotion, and the money that comes with it but he doesn't want to do the work of creating interest in his brand.

 

[d2s]

Dana doesn't even put the belt on Stipe, it's clear he doesn't think of him much.

Stipe had Dana hand the belt off before getting it put on, iirc.

 

[Diunx]

Well, they were kind of acting like it was a forgone conclusion that Francis was going to beat him and were all excited about the "new champ" during the build up to the fight.

That was actually good for Stipe, the crazy hyperbolic build up of Ngannou like an uberhuman killing machine made Stipe's victory even more impressive, the promotion's job is to sell the fight and for once the UFC did very good with that fight imo, they created a worthy challenge for the at that time dominant champion.

Then again Stipe is a fighter not a marketing major so I can see how his ego got hurt but imo the UFC did good with that one and will probably had a similar build up for Khabib vs Conor.

 

[AimedWithV]

How do you know it wasn't related to either guy's mindset?

Because I can objectively measure the matchup and knew from the start that Brett Rogers v. 2 has nothing to offer to a talented fighter like Miocic besides the KO power.

As for selling I don't know how exactly how well it sold but at Dana's hype likely improved it somewhat.

Not enough to consider it a financial success.

 

[AimedWithV]

That was actually good for Stipe, the crazy hyperbolic build up of Ngannou like an uberhuman killing machine made Stipe's victory even more impressive, the promotion's job is to sell the fight and for once the UFC did very good with that fight imo, they created a worthy challenge for the at that time dominant champion.

Neither they intended to promote Stipe in this in any way, nor they succeeded to do so.

No one cared, and UFC 226 numbers showed that better than anything

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

Stipe should KO Dayna

 

[FireKidWS]

I really want to know what would have happened if Stipe had beaten DC.

Was Stipe ready to be shit talked by Brock in the octagon right after? I don’t think he woulda been cool with the whole thing like DC...

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Stipe also puts very little effort into promoting a fight, or being marketable. No, the athletes don't have to all act like McGregor, but when you have to personality of a dead moth it shouldn't come as a surprise that you aren't being promoted heavily.

The UFC can only work with what they're given after all. They would have no reason not to want to promote their HW champion. Stipe wants to get all the promotion, and the money that comes with it but he doesn't want to do the work of creating interest in his brand.

and how's Francis Ngannou's personality? he got the rub and he's got the same shitty personality as Stipe minus the English speaking skills.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

I really want to know what would have happened if Stipe had beaten DC.

Was Stipe ready to be shit talked by Brock in the octagon right after? I don’t think he woulda been cool with the whole thing like DC...

yeah, i think Stipe would've gotten into Brock's face and it could've been way better than the DC confrontation simply because Stipe would've been raw emotion and not ready for the cameras like DC was.