- Dana White addressed the issue regarding Islam Makhachev’s controversial comment about how UFC 284 is being promoted
- The UFC boss said UFC 284 numbers are remarkable and Makhachev doesn’t know anything about it
UFC 284 is just days away from taking place. It’s without a doubt a massive fight as No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Alexander Volkanovski takes on No. 2 fighter Islam Makhachev in a battle for UFC supremacy. However, Makhachev feels like the UFC hasn’t been doing enough in hyping the fight.
The boss addressed it
Lifting the lid on Makhachev’s controversial comment, UFC president Dana White outright shut it down, stressing the lightweight champion’s statement was “taken out of context.”
Moreover, White made it clear that Makhachev knows nothing about how the event has been doing as far as promotion goes. Ultimately, the UFC boss dismissed the entire thing and labeled it outright “internet BS.”
“Yeah, that’s not true,” White said in his UFC Vegas 69 post-fight press conference (h/t MMA Fighting). “First of all, I’ve talked to Islam. First of all, who interviewed him? Who translated for him? I mean, the guy speaks Russian. Taken out of context.”
“First of all, he lives in Dagestan. What does he know about what’s going on for the promotion of the fight? He doesn’t know anything. It’s going to be one of the top-five biggest fights of all-time. First of all, the event sold out. Right? You couldn’t get a ticket if you wanted to get a ticket in Perth. And this thing is trending right now to be the biggest pay-per-view event in Australia, which, it’s like six percent behind the Conor McGregor [vs. Dustin] Poirier 3 fight. It’s probably going to break the record. So to say that the fight hasn’t been [promoted], that’s just ridiculous. That’s what you call some internet BS,” he added.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚-𝙤𝙛𝙛… 👀
Makhachev 🆚 Volkanovski will be EPIC 🤩#UFC284 | February 11 | BT Sport pic.twitter.com/FA1yswNNTK
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 24, 2023
It’s history waiting to happen
While the narrative suggests that this will be White’s words vs, Makhachev’s words, one thing remains a fact – UFC 284 is history waiting to unfold. First off, it’s the first time in UFC history that the top two pound-for-pound fighter will take on one another. And according to White’s prediction, Volkanovski vs. Makhachev could break UFC’s all-time record in terms of pay-per-view buys.
UFC 284 will take place on Feb. 11 at the Rac Arena in Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
