UFC boss Dana White accuses WWE co-founder Vince McMahon for failed negotiations with NBC in 2011 - “I don’t want you on the network”

Failed negotiations form a major part of promotions and their management in the world of sports as a whole. The world of combat sports has also seen such ties being either sabotaged or failed due to unavoidable circumstances. UFC, a pioneer promotion in the world of MMA, has failed in the past while negotiating with different stakeholders including broadcasters as well as fighters. UFC President Dana White in a recent podcast talked about a failed negotiation in the past with NBC, specifically sabotaged by the co-founder of WWE, Vince McMahon.
UFC president Dana White recalled the events of 2011 when Vince McMahon, the co-founder of WWE used his influence to sabotage a major achievement for the promotion, UFC. The loophole of contractual rights was popped up in order to stop NBC from airing any other combat sports on their channel.
Prior to UFC signing a broadcast rights deal with FOX, after their contract with SpikeTV got over, there were several other broadcasters in line and UFC was filtering out options. It was during this time, when NBC came up with a profitable deal and agreed to sign a contract with the promotion.
“So I’m on the 1-yard line; we’re about to get a deal done with NBC. One of my big deal points was that The Ultimate Fighter had to be on USA [Network]. We’re literally in New York for days hammering it out with all the executives over there. Finally they come back and say ‘we’ll do it, we’ll put The Ultimate Fighter on USA.’” Dana stated in the podcast with Steph McMahon.

He continued, “So the next day we come back, and we’re about to sign the deal and do all this stuff, and they’re like ‘we can’t believe this, we didn’t know this, we just found out — Vince McMahon has the right to determine whether another combat sport can come onto USA.’ I’m like what? How is that even f*cking possible?”
The next moment Dana, and former UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta found themselves flying out to the WWE offices, hoping to strike a deal with the co-founder Vince McMahon, but was met with disappointment when McMahon clearly stated, “I don’t want you on the network.”
The promotion ended up with FOX and left it in 2018, when they signed a new deal with the ESPN.
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During 2011, WWE was at its peak popularity with shows like Monday Night Raw. While UFC and WWE had their own lines of rivalry, both promotions are now under the parent company of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. This has brought both Dana White and Vince McMahon to work together despite the past bitterness that they shared before.