Jay Mariotti: “Dana White is a snake. There is no regard for human life here and this man should be apprehended. Only in Florida can he get away with this. ‘Essential??’ You knew somebody was going to test positive, then two of his cornermen test positive, and the show goes on. He also has all his fighters sign these disparagement clauses so they can’t be critical of any sort of protocol. We will never know how many people are testing positive because this guy is a flat out liar who will never tell us. He will cover it up. I am frightened about what is going there. It’s ruthless, it’s all a money grab, it’s going against the grain of any sort of medical logic right now, and yet the show goes on and we're going to have an event Wednesday, and another one Saturday – God help Dana White.” (Full Audio Above)
Listen to longtime sportswriter Jay Mariotti brutally blast UFC President Dana White for pushing so hard to put on last weekend’s ‘UFC 249’ pay- per-view program that was the first live sporting event to take part in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The PPV was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn, NY on April 18th, but was cancelled after the state barred all public gatherings. In the weeks that would follow, White would try scrupulously to keep the event alive, at one time even attempting to rent his own island to stage fights on.
Eventually the event did take place after a controversial chain of events that even saw fighter Ronaldo Souza have to pull out just days before after he and two members of his corner tested positive for COVID-19.
Check out the raw interview above on Fox Sports Radio’s ‘The Odd Couple’ with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker as Mariotti calls White a ‘snake’ and a ‘liar’, and says the unapologetic businessman has ‘no regard for human life.’