Dana White blasts 'scumbag' Bjorn Rebney's involvement in new fighters association
UFC president Dana White has a long history of speaking out against former Bellator MMA founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, and it seems nothing much has changed.
Following a long absence from the sport after selling his promotion to Viacom, Rebney resurfaced last week with the announcement of the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association (MMAAA) where he aligned himself with several high profile UFC stars, including Georges St-Pierre, Cain Velasquez, Tim Kennedy, TJ Dillashaw and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
Rebney's involvement raised more than a few eyebrows after his tumultuous exit from his former promotion not to mention several fighters and managers speaking out against his involvement in the new association that aims to earn MMA athletes more money, benefits and a new collective bargaining agreement from the UFC.
While Rebney reportedly holds no actual power in the new group that was formed outside of an advisory role, White says the fact that he's associated at all taints the entire organization.
"I don't know enough about it to really speak on it. The only thing I need to know is the biggest scumbag in the history of combat sports Bjork (Bjorn Rebney) is involved in this thing," White said on the "UFC Unfiltered" podcast. "Listen, there's three unions out there now all battling against each other and if you're a fighter, these guys are all looking to get in your pocket.
"It's a business where guys are going to make money and as a fighter if this is what you want to do, you've got to figure out who's hand you want in your pocket and I guarantee you don't want Bjork's hand in your pocket."
During the two-hour long conference call that introduced the MMAAA, Rebney took aim at the UFC by claiming that the promotion pays athletes only 8-percent of the total revenue earned by the company and he wanted to increase that share to a 50-percent split.
White scoffed at Rebney's numbers and also blasted the former promoter after he said that his most successful year in mixed martial arts was when he paid athletes 53-percent of his revenue.
"He's saying 'when I was a promoter, I paid 53-percent of the revenue (to the fighters'. Cause there was no (expletive) revenue," White said. "Yeah you're paying 53-percent — there was no revenue! If that's the way we're going to gauge this back in the old days, then I was paying 250-percent of the (expletive) revenue. What a (expletive) piece of (expletive) this guy is."
White went onto say that the only reason Rebney was involved with the MMAAA is because he was "unemployed" while also warning the fighters working with him to be aware of who they're in business with now.
"Listen if you're going to have a guy in your pocket and you're a fighter, you might want to go out and ask some other fighters what they're opinion is of this (expletive) scumbag," White said.
As far as the fighters go, White says he doesn't have an issue with anyone being involved with the MMAAA regardless of what was said on the conference call that introduced the group.
Out of the five competitors who were introduced with the MMAAA, the only one White was seemingly irritated about was Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
"Not at all. At the end the day, here's the reality — the fighters can go out and do whatever they want to do. They're grown men and in life we all have paths to walk down," White said.
"I'm a little shocked and I'll tell you this — that ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone didn't give me a call if you're that unhappy."
Cerrone was one of the five fighters leading the charge during the introduction of the MMAAA. White pointed out a legal issue he helped sort out for Cerrone as proof that he's been there whenever he needed it, but this time around the former title contender didn't bother to call the UFC president to explain what was happening.
"First of all he's only main evented like three fights, never held a title in the WEC, never held a title in the UFC, and a couple years ago he was on his boat, he gets into a beef with a guy on another boat. He's in big trouble. Who does he call? He calls me," White said. "What do I do? I go out and find him the best criminal defense lawyer and I spent over $100,000 of my own money for "Cowboy" Cerrone. When I see ‘Cowboy’ standing up there it's like all right, really? OK."
"Never heard a word from ‘Cowboy’ but whatever. It's all good. I never called him. Never called any of the guys. He's a big boy, he can do what he wants to do."
