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The "Softer Side" of Dana White

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Dana White, the man at the forefront of MMA's most successful organization, will likely never have to worry about universal acceptance from the MMA community.  In a way, his public persona overshadows his accomplishments and good deeds.  Brian Knapp explains that there's more to the story:

Having said that, White’s also a shrewd businessman with an undeniable passion for the sport, and his decisions have shaped the UFC juggernaut into a monster moneymaker. Because he’s such a polarizing figure, he’s gotten far less credit than he deserves.

White has a softer side, too, as he showed in wake of the gruesome injury suffered by lightweight prospect Corey Hill at UFC Fight Night 17 in December. Hill snapped his lower leg when he kicked opponent Dale Hartt early in the second round and had to be stretchered out of the cage. He later underwent surgery and was hospitalized for a number of days. UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and White called Hill together at the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., and wished him a speedy recovery. Their goodwill did not end there.

In addition to paying for Hill’s medical expenses, the UFC left one of its employees behind to stay with him at the hospital for the first six days of his stay. When Hill was released from the hospital a week and a half later, the UFC paid for Hill and his family to remain at a hotel, so he could visit with doctors again before leaving for home.

I must confess that the above article gave me an excuse to revisit the UFC's handling of the Corey Hill situation.  It's important that we as fans stop to commend the UFC for going out of its way to help a badly injured employee.  White is constantly maligned for what many believe is shoddy treatment of his fighters.  How fighters are dealt with in terms of contracts and contract negotiations isn't the focus of this post. 

The point is really simple.  Dana White, Lorenzo Feritita, and the UFC as a whole did what they could to alleviate some of the initial concerns for Corey Hill and his family in the wake of a horrific injury.  No doubt, some will try to minimize these efforts and discredit the UFC in some way; that's to be expected.  In my view, these actions aren't those of an organization that doesn't care at all about the well-being of its fighters.  While the UFC is deserving of criticism at times, I don't believe it's appropriate in this case.

Generalization and categorization is all too common in our society as far as I'm concerned.  Certain people, or groups of people, can't be narrowly defined in an honest way.  Maybe life would be easier to understand if shades of gray failed to exist.  However, nuance does exist and it isn't going away.  It's fine to hurl criticism at Dana White and company when necessary.  Just don't forget to tip your hat to this same group when their actions are worthy of such a gesture.

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Nobody is trying to take away from The Dana over the reported treatment of Corey Hill. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s been given many virtual backslaps over it already.

"In my view, these actions aren’t those of an organization that doesn’t care at all about the well-being of its fighters. "

Wow, we’re really setting the bar high now

by smoogy on Jan 4, 2009 3:55 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

When you’ve heard enough people say those exact words about the UFC, you want to set the record straight, I guess.

by subo on Jan 4, 2009 3:57 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Yep, it gets real old listening to people rant about how the UFC doesn’t care about the fighters or the sport when the issue is that a lot of people don’t agree with the UFC business model.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

You can spin this however you like. I doubt that the “virtual backslaps” are as numerous as the ridicule (some of it baseless) that’s levied against White and the UFC. Like I said, criticism is appropriate at times. It’s just absurd to constantly focus on the negative aspects of White without looking at the positive side.

It’s nice how you pull one sentence from several paragraphs of material to build a straw man.

by Cannon Jacques on Jan 4, 2009 4:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I wouldn’t put any more weight into the mindless riducule of White than I would the mindless praise of him. But I haven’t seen any substantive criticism of his actions re: the Corey Hill situation since that initial article was published. I have seen White praised for it already, though. This whole post is like a re-run.

by smoogy on Jan 4, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I didn’t really mean to imply that White has been criticized over Hill situation. My point was that the UFC deserves criticism when appropriate and deserves praise when appropriate.

by Cannon Jacques on Jan 4, 2009 4:20 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Ok, fair enough. Hopefully there will be more Sengoku analysis later

by smoogy on Jan 4, 2009 4:33 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm trying to find the time...

have a major project to finish up for work before I can get around to it but I’m hoping to be able to get something up on the Sengoku show by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 4, 2009 5:30 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Well...

if you weren’t sitting around commenting on an MMA blog, you might be able to finish your project. I jest.

by Cannon Jacques on Jan 4, 2009 5:35 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah...

well…it wouldn’t be like me to skip every opportunity to procrastinate.

Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 4, 2009 6:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I totally understand that. I’m stricken with the same disease.

by Cannon Jacques on Jan 4, 2009 7:11 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

When you open your mouth and say so many outrageous things as Dana does, you are going to attract that negative backlash. But the thing is, as a promoter he relishes that.

it’s absurd that when he does something like this that anyone with an ounce of integrity would do, all of a sudden he’s a great guy. BS. Dana is a guy that loves to build his business anyway he can and loves to promote the UFC. There is nothing wrong with that. But let’s get one thing straight here: Dana is getting paid and making huge $$$ when he says these outrageous things or drops F bombs. He’s Don king.

by lbk on Jan 4, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I’m not nominating him for “Man of the Year.” This instance just runs counter to the picture that some convey in regard to the UFC. Would other orgs have handled the situation in the same way? Yes. Would all orgs handle it in the same way? No. You can blow this up into something it’s not, or you can take it for what it is. It was the right thing to do, but the right thing isn’t always what is done.

by Cannon Jacques on Jan 4, 2009 4:26 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

It’s akin to making a news write up of Wal-Mart taking care of one of its employees after they fall down and split their head opn while stocking the shelves. Um..wouldn’t anyone?

by lbk on Jan 4, 2009 4:32 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

That’s the thing not neccessarily would they do squat. Wal Mart would push the person off on workers comp and would hire a replacement if they couldn’t make it right back to work. The UFC went well beyond what would be expected in a situation like this with a guy that wasn’t even a employee, as a sub-contractor they could of just cut his ass and went on with their business.

Hell I fell and hit my head working at a grocery store when I was a teenager, they made me to sign a paper saying I wouldn’t sue before they would even cover the medical bill and tried to make me feel bad about missing work.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 4:40 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Well, sounds like you have worked for some crappy companies then lol. i have never experienced any of that and would flat out find another company to work for if I even saw or heard that happening. I like to feel good about my employers.

by lbk on Jan 4, 2009 4:42 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

It’s not places where I have personally worked(although in my 40 years I have seen a lot) it’s the stuff you hear about just studying for the degree. I’ve worked for some great companies, as have family members but even then you still see and hear about incidents all the time.

To a business employee injuries are looked at as what they cost the company not what they mean to the individual who gets injured, that’s just how it works. I’ll guarantee you that the president of Exxon has never called any employee in the hospital that broke their leg on the job. You might not of personally experienced it anywhere but if you get disabled on the job you’ll probably get a good taste of it, especially if you work for a larger company.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

It’s a bit different here. We know how Dana micro manages the employees and company and how much he interacts with the fighters. I don’t consider a huge deal that he personally called Hill in the hospital for as much as Dana interacts with the fighters.

I understand your points though.

by lbk on Jan 4, 2009 4:57 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

The UFC is a relatively small company and the fighters are more(and in some ways less) than just employees so it’s not surprising he would do something like that but their actions in this situation are above and beyond what would be expected from other companies and shouldn’t be marginalized.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 5:11 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

You would be surprised what other companies don’t do when people who work for them get injured. Lets face it they went well beyond what almost any company would of done in a situation like this (I work in occupational safety, trust me I have seen some real horror stories). It’s a lot more than a ounce of integrity to leave a paid employee with him for a week (that is unheard of) or to put the whole family up at a hotel after he was released from the hospital. Those are actions of someone going above and beyond what would be expected in the situation. Heck being as Hill was a sub-contractor most companies would of just dropped his contract and prepared a lawyer in case he tried to sue(seriously that would be quite common).

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 4:32 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

Its your field of expertise so I must defer, but most companies don’t have a ravenous horde of fanatics.

by smoogy on Jan 4, 2009 4:38 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

You would be surprised.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 4:43 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

I’m a CPA, so every year I become intimately familiar with the books and operations of 100+ companies. I’ve never heard of a company putting the family of an injured worker up in a hotel room.

Part of the problem is that the knowledge of MMA fans spans such a wide spectrum. For example, I know a ton about business and traumatic brain injury (MS in cognitive neuroscience), but I’ve never trained a day in my life for combat sports and never personally known anyone whose taken steroids outside of the athletes at my high school. So I’m at the extreme high end of the knowledge spectrum on some mma related issues and at the extreme low end for others.

by Jahbulon on Jan 4, 2009 4:45 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

We all see things through the lens of our personal life and experiences. It just surprised me that anyone would think the UFC’s actions here were typical of what a company would do because in this situation the UFC went above and beyond. I don’t think White deserves a medal or anything but for a guy who gets as much bad press as he does on the internet it should be noted that there really is two sides to the guy.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 5:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

cmon smoogy you have read the forums…people made it seem like Dana was going to toss him and his broken leg out the door without even an aspirin.

by banter on Jan 4, 2009 6:23 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

That’s a fine writeup. What it comes down to, for me, is I don’t think Dana does shit like this to impress me or you or the rest of the blogosphere. I think he does it because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. They sure as hell don’t have to.

by subo on Jan 4, 2009 3:55 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Ok look, it’s great that the UFC covered those expenses and reached out to Hill like that but come on. It would be even more news worthy has they not taken those steps. Especially considering Hill was doing this at a benefit for troops show and was getting paid under 20K for it as well.

Seriously, why is this considered a “soft side” type of thing to do? It was the right thing to do and something anyone with an ounce of integrity would do.

by lbk on Jan 4, 2009 4:12 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Again, what fighters make from the UFC for a fight does not equal what they actually make for a fight. They don’t wear that shit on their shorts out of charity.

by subo on Jan 4, 2009 4:27 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

That’s fine, i was making that point because it’s not like this was a headliner making 200K. He’s a lower tier fighter that has to feed his family. i mean this is a guy that worked at Wal-Mart before hsi 1st fight so I don’t think he’s got much going on here.

by lbk on Jan 4, 2009 4:30 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Anyone with an ounce of integrity?

lol… So either you’re naive, or live in some unheard of utopian society where everything is fair and good? First and foremost… Covering the cost for his initial medical expenses would have been all many companies with such “integrity” would have felt the need to do for a “lower tier fighter” that currently isn’t making them ANY money, and should be grateful to be in the UFC with his limited fighting background. I mean we are talking about CoreyHill; a person who would have no chance to make the money he’s making now ANYWHERE else in the current state of MMA internationally (this includes his sponsors who pay based on UFC (and TUFF) name recognition. The whole point is Dana, Lorenzo and the UFC did a lot more than they HAD to do, and do more for their fighters than people such as yourself would have anyone believe.

by Loot on Jan 4, 2009 5:36 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

Dana White can throw kittens into volcanos, as long as he is putting on great MMA cards and involved in the sport I will be happy.

by DirtyML on Jan 4, 2009 4:54 PM EST reply actions   1 recs

I found the article refreshing because so much of what is reported on in this world is always the negative side of stories.

I’m all for more positive stories being written anytime they are warranted and this story was more than warranted.

by mattman73 on Jan 4, 2009 6:58 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

I’m glad someone at least partially agrees with my take. It would just be nice if people would file this away in their mind so they can reference it when the next rant claiming that Dana White is evil pops up. This doesn’t give the UFC a right to abuse fighters (or whatever sinister act you can think of) from here on out. It’s just something worth noting. We don’t have to talk about bad shit all of the time.

by Cannon Jacques on Jan 4, 2009 7:22 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Dana White is a human being, I think people sometimes forget that.

by who me on Jan 4, 2009 10:17 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Dana is a huge fan of Vince McMahon (“genius” – by his own words). I don’t know too much about the WWF, but when Vince decided to become a major character in his own promotion, didn’t he do it as a bad guy? Did it ever occur to any of his harshest critics that they might be playing right into the UFC’s business model by making Dana such a huge issue of contention among the fan base?

by Jahbulon on Jan 4, 2009 10:44 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Its funny that you mention Vince,

I was thinking of their similarities when I first clicked on the link for comments on this article.

I agree that their is probably some similiarity in the way that the Dana we see publically is probably not a true representation of the entire Dana at work for the UFC and MMA. I think he plays a “character” of sorts (but not really in the way Vince does) when he is on camera and promoting fights.

I’m sure he thinks Fedor is the best HW in the world, but its not in the UFC’s best interests for him to waste time that he could be promoting a fight talking about a fighter who will likely never sign with the UFC…just an example.

by Razreshat on Jan 5, 2009 12:15 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

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