Former dual weight Bellator champion took a dig at UFC boss Dana White after the latter denied the fighter’s challenge to compete in the UFC.
The UFC contract prohibits MMA fighters from competing in any other leagues. Therefore, although many fighters have expressed their desire to compete in a cross-sport or cross-promotion, none of them came to fruition.
Similarly, the current Bellator featherweight champion once challenged the number one pound-for-pound UFC fighter Alexander Volkanovski. He also bet $1 million to defeat the UFC champion.
Despite approval from ‘The Great’, the match never came to fruition. Because the UFC boss rejected the offer, stating he didn’t know who Patricio Pitbull was.
"Dana White doesn't have balls."@PatricioPitbull is ready to put his money where his mouth is for a crossover bout with UFC champ @AlexVolkanovski.
Full interview: https://t.co/jDITjHVwhS pic.twitter.com/hTZs9TWJov
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 2, 2022
Pitbull recently defended his featherweight title with a dominant victory last weekend. Following his big win, the Bellator champion took a jibe at White while discussing the cross-promotion challenge.
“I bet $1 million and he (Volkanovski) accepted that, but Dana White doesn’t have balls,” Pitbull told the media.
Fighters who expressed their desires to do cross sport or cross-promotion to Dana White
There have been a lot of fighters who have expressed their desires to compete in cross-promotion or cross sport. Interestingly, there have been numerous cross-promotion and cross-sports fights as well in the past. However, the UFC has stopped doing them now.
One of the most famous and most successful cross-sports fights was between Conor McGregor and undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather. Two of the greatest combatants in the history of the combat sport collided inside a squared ring.
Besides that, current UFC fighters who have hinted at a cross-sport in recent memory are Kamaru Usman and heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has several times hinted that he wants to compete against Canelo Alvarez in a boxing ring. And ‘The Predator’ wanted to fight boxing great Tyson Fury. Both Fury and Ngannou even agreed to fight.
However, it never came to fruition because of the UFC obligations. Consequently, the Cameroonian fighter was on bad terms with White for a long time.
What are your thoughts on White not allowing fighters to compete outside UFC?
