Last week, an average media day event turned into one of the most watched brawls in history, as UFC 178 headliners Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier collided during a staredown at the MGM Grand, which eventually led to an unprecedented all-out brawl between the fighters and a variety of other people present at the time.
Standing in between the two men at the time was UFC Senior Director of Public Relations, Dave Sholler, who had replaced the organization's President Dana White for the week since the head honcho was on vacation at the time. Instead of a simple staredown, Sholler tried to make a stand when things started to get heated between the fighters but was ultimately thrown into the sponsor's backdrop before Jones attacked his opponent on the stage.
"[UFC Sr. Director of Public Relations] Dave Sholler doesn't really have any experience out there between the guys," White told The Download. "There's times when you know something is going on and you're ready and you jump in there and get that thing defused. That's why I stand there. I don't stand there because I want to be in f**king pictures, I'm there to make sure that kind of sh*t doesn't happen. You got two guys, who are going to fight, and there is definitely a ton of mind warfare going on between [Cormier and Jones], no doubt about it."
Although White was not certain that being there would have stopped the inevitable brawl that ensued between the fighters, he would have known the exact moment to separate the fighters in the hopes that such drastic reactions do not take place.
"As soon as Jones went up and their bodies touched, I would have separated them," White said. "Sometimes you'll see me put a hand in, or sometimes you'll see me do something else. I would have separated them. It was the head butt, Jones headbutted Cormier - that's what upset [Daniel] and made him push him back. I would have got my arm in there before that contact was even made. I would have seen the contact coming and I would have stopped it. Then I would have been right in the middle. Would I have stopped that whole thing from going down, who the f**k knows? I wasn't here."
White went on to explain that the brawl was a result of a situation not being "defused" at the right moment, which ultimately allowed for the two heated light-heavyweights to collide.
"One little thing can trigger two guys, who are the baddest dudes on the planet, who are face to face. That's what they do, period. People can try to sugar coat it or try to spin any way that they want, that's the reality. That's who they are, that's what they're paid to do and that's what you show up to watch. These guys, that's who they are to the core. And when you get two guys like that and you don't handle the situation the right way to defuse it, that's what happens. The difference is that Sholler has never been in that position before."
You can watch the entire media day brawl below:
Transcription taken from UFC.com.