UFC: Dana White gave Machida a bonus from his own pocket for beating Tito Ortiz

Being the president of the largest mixed martial arts organization obviously has plenty of perks, but there are some drawbacks that come along with the job. In a recent interview with Big Boy, UFC president, Dana White talks about two incidents that demonstrate both sides of the coin.

The first instance comes courtesy of former fighters Phil Baroni and Matt Hume by way of violent threats:

Big Boy: have you ever had a fighter tell you, 'I wanna beat your ass'

Dana White: Oh yeah, there's no doubt about it. There's been many. One time, I was in a negotiation over a contract, and one of the fighters said, 'Well how bout if I come down there and just beat your fucking ass?' [laughs] Well, it's not gonna help in the negotiations, and it's definitely not gonna get you any more money [laughs].

Big Boy: Do we know that fighter?

Dana White: Um, there's been a couple. Baroni did once. The other fighter, this guy is actually a manager now, it was Matt Hume.

I'm in the fight business, man. I'm not in the nice business. I deal with 500 of the baddest dudes in the world, and their managers, who are sometimes ex fighters. That stuff happens. Guys get heated and offer to beat some asses sometimes.

The second instance demonstrates the luxury of having enough financial stability to be able to pay a personal bonus, out of his own pocket, to Lyoto Machida for his defeat of Tito Ortiz:

Big Boy: Has there been a fighter that you looked at, and you was like, 'Man, I hope he gets fucked up tonight'

Dana White: There's no doubt about it. [laughs] Absolutely.

Big Boy: Have you ever told somebody, 'If you knock him out, there's a bonus'

Dana White: I can tell ya this, Tito Ortiz is that guy and the only time in 13 years, of all the fights we've ever done, um, Lyoto Machida beat Tito Ortiz, I actually wrote him a personal check. The UFC paid him his show money, his win money and if he wins one of the bonuses, he gets bonused. I literally bonused him myself.

I'm not sure how fair that is to the other fighters on the roster, but the level of malevolence obviously runs pretty deep between Dana and Tito. I am including the video interview here for your perusal.