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Dana White says fans will lose their minds for UFC Hawaii

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Dana White says fans will 'lose their minds' for UFC Hawaii
Hawaii is a targeted future destination for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

During his recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,†UFC CEO
Dana
White was asked where he'd like to stage an event the promotion
has never visited previously. Hawaii immediately came to mind,
although he explained that infrastructure has prevented the
promotion from staging an event there, but a new arena is
apparently in the works.

Dana White points to a new Hawaii arena as the key to UFC’s
long-awaited debut

According to White, the state’s existing infrastructure has been
the biggest obstacle to staging an event. However, with a new arena
targeted for 2028-29, taking the promotion to the island state is a
priority.

“One of our biggest markets since day one has been Hawaii, and
we've still never put on an event in Hawaii,†White said. “We've
had multiple world champions from Hawaii. The infrastructure there
can't support a UFC event. But now they're building a new arena
there. Supposed to be done in [2028, 2029].â€

White believes Hawaii would be a particularly attractive
destination for both fans and the UFC’s staff.

“I like destinations where people want to go,†White added. “When
we do UFC Hawaii, people will lose their minds. Who doesn't want to
go to UFC Hawaii? So, off the top of my head, you’re firing that at
me… When I think about UFC Hawaii, that will be a fun one.â€

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Dana White defends Dan Miragliotta over stand-up in Moicano vs. Nolan bout

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Dana White defends Dan Miragliotta over stand-up in Moicano vs. Nolan bout
Dana
White has addressed veteran referee Dan Miragliotta's
controversial stand-up in the Renato
“Money†Moicano vs. Tom Nolan
bout.

Moicano suffered a third-round stoppage loss to Nolan at
UFC Vegas 123 on Oct. 31. However, the fight was marred by
controversy when Miragliotta stood the fighters up for inactivity
while Moicano had Nolan's back in the second round. While it's very
rare for a referee to intervene when a fighter has his opponent's
back, White defended Miragliotta's call.

Why Dana White believes Dan Miragliotta made the right
call

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO says that, under the
ruleset, damage is the key factor in stand-ups, not holding
position. White notes that some grapplers can ride their opponent's
back for three rounds and says the referee is right to intervene if
the fighter in a dominant position isn't trying to land damage or
advance position.

“I don't think it's about dominant position,†White said during a
media scrum captured by TheMacLife. “It's about, are you doing
damage or not, trying to win the fight? Some of these guys are so
good, they can f*cking take your back and ride it out for three
rounds. The rules are, if you’re not doing damage or trying to
advance your position, or trying to win the fight, you get stood
up.â€

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Morning Report | Coach questions if UFC influenced controversial referee standup: ‘If you don’t fight a certain fight, you’re not getting in’

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Morning Report | Coach questions if UFC influenced controversial referee standup: ‘If you don’t fight a certain fight, you’re not getting in’

Charles Oliveira defends his “BMF” title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on Dec. 12, but it’s fair to say it doesn’t have quite the same buzz as other matchups featuring the symbolic belt.

Some of that obviously has to do with Oliveira winning it with a one-sided, smothering effort against fan favorite Max Holloway. One could also argue the idea has naturally run its course after it originated from a spark of inspiration provided by Nate Diaz and then became another UFC prop.

Dan Hooker recently told Submission Radio that Oliveira “killed it,” which seems harsh, but is he the only one thinking this? Who do you think is responsible for the BMF belt losing its luster (if it even has)?

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UFC fighter recalls training with Conor McGregor at 17

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UFC fighter recalls training with Conor McGregor at 17
Jean-Paul
Lebosnoyani trained with Conor
McGregor when he was in high school.

Lebosnoyani said he was just 17 when he had the chance to train
with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship star ahead of McGregor's first
fight against Nate Diaz in
2016. Lebosnoyani had just finished a large Mongolian barbecue meal
when his father called to tell him McGregor needed a training
partner at the gym. “American Bandit†trained with McGregor for
about two weeks.

How Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani first met Conor McGregor

Lebosnoyani praised McGregor's humility and said the former
two-division champion has sent him messages throughout his career.
Despite the controversies surrounding McGregor, Lebosnoyani said he
will always respect the Irishman.

“I had just eaten the most I’ve ever eaten in my life. As soon as I
finished my meal, my dad calls me,†Lebosnoyani told Ariel Helwani.
“He goes, ‘Conor’s at the gym. He needs you to train right now.' I
was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna barf all over this guy.' We did a
bunch of jiu-jitsu rounds and trained for about two weeks before he
met Dillon
Danis. That was the highlight of my high school childhood.
Shout out to Conor. He’s messaged me throughout my career. When I
got signed to the UFC, he wrote me a nice message saying
congratulations. When I met Conor, he was the most humble,
down-to-earth guy. Obviously, there’s a lot of controversy with
him, but I will always respect him. He has a special place in my
heart. At that point, he was at the pinnacle of his career, and it
was extremely inspirational how humble he was to someone like me.
He would pull up to the gym in two Rolls-Royces, and the second he
stepped on the mat, that whole persona, the whole ego, was just
gone.”

Lebosnoyani (12-2) earned his UFC contract on
Dana White's Contender Series last year. He has won all three
of his UFC fights, earning his first stoppage victory in the
promotion against Farman
Hasanov at
UFC Vegas 123 on Oct. 31.


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