Pramit Mohapatra interviewed Dana White for SI.com on the eve of UFC 80. White addressed several topics that MMAPayout.com has covered in the last week, including international expansion, internet pay-per-view, and network TV.
White dodged the timing question of international expansion, but did emphasis that the company never canceled UFC 83 from Manchester because it was never officially scheduled. White did offer some insight into where the company sees the industry heading in the big picture and how that relates to international expansion:We want to get out there, get the brand known, get people into mixed martial arts. We're taking the show around and traveling it to introduce it to people because the bottom line is if you've never seen mixed martial arts and you think, "Oh god, I wouldn't like it -- it's barbaric," all I have to do is get you inside that arena and you're converted. It's the most exciting combat sport in the world and it's probably the greatest live sporting event you'll ever see. I really believe that when this thing goes to the Internet, we're going to be global.The promise of internet pay-per-view is nothing new to readers of MMAPayout.com. This is the first time I've seen White publicly endorse the medium, however, the UFC has been an aggressive proponent of digital content with UFC on Demand.
On the topic of network television, White was again optimistic and surprisingly candid. He admitted that UFC 80 was originally a candidate for network TV and seemed to confirm talks with NBC in addition to CBS as MMAPayout.com reported earlier this week:
It will be ready when we cut a deal that works for us. I'm not going to go out there and cut any stupid deals. I use boxing as the blueprint of what not to do with this sport. And, no matter what, we're out there, we're working hard, we're trying to grow the UFC and expose it to more people, and get it into other countries. But, we're not going to cut any deals that don't make sense for this business long-term.
