D. White at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Almost two weeks after the publication of the video that captures an “exchange of slaps” between Dana White and his wife Anne at a New Year's Eve party in Mexico, the issue continues to resonate in the MMA community. After the UFC president himself ruled out a more severe punishment, such as removal from office, commentator Jimmy Smith pointed to the possibility of this causing the sport to regress.
During his appearance on the “SiriusXM” podcast, Smith, an MMA commentator for more than two decades, revealed that he fears that the lack of consequences related to the attack could make MMA return to being seen as an “animal sport”, as it was. common in the not-so-distant past.
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“I don't like anything that makes us look like an animal sport, all the criticism and stereotypes that I dealt with 20 years ago, 25 years in this sport. I don't want to see us go back there, but it could happen. It could happen when major sponsors, corporations and brands decide, 'I don't know if I want to be involved in this anymore, because they have a domestic violence scandal every week and they don't do anything about it.' There was no punishment. Not even for Jon Jones, nor for Dana White. It might pull us back. You have to be a little older to remember that time, but it happened and can happen again. The lack of punishment for Dana White affects everyone in MMA, because it shows that there are no consequences and makes it seem like a bunch of animals fighting in a cage”, argued the commentator.
Although Dana White claims that his removal from the UFC leadership position would be more harmful to the organization than to himself, Jimmy Smith believes that the punishment would cause harm to the president, even if not financially.
“It would hurt him not to be in charge of the UFC anymore. For any length of time, it would bother him. Financially? No. But it would be uncomfortable”, he concluded.
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