Check out dana White’s UFC 200 post-fight interview with Megan Olivi below, and read our keynotes from their conversation.
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– White admits it’s been “a crazy week”. He notes that Jon Jones pre-fight drug test failure was “a huge disappointment,” but took positives in strong main event showings on both Thursday night (Eddie Alcarez Vs Rafael dos Anjos) and Friday night (Joanna jedrzejczyk Vs Claudia Gadelha II), while also summing up UFC 200 as having, “some great fights and some decent ones.”
– One takeaway for White from the full ‘International Fight Week’ festivities in Las Vegas was that there really was a big emphasis on the word “international” as fans came from all corners of the globe, with a notable presence from the likes of Australia, South America, Europe and the UK.
– Dana didn’t expect Eddie Alvarez to win at UFC Fight Night 90, but he was impressed by his “ridiculous” performance in taking out a dominant champion like Rafael dos Anjos.
– As for the TUF 23 Finale, White believes that Claudia Gadelha had the wrong gameplan, as she hurt Joanna Jedrzejczyk with a punch early on, but then gassed herself out wrestling after that.
As for Jedrzejczyk, White calls her “a gangster” and was most impressed with her cardio and the way she was able to turn up the intensity in the final three rounds as her opponent started to tire.
– White thought Jose Aldo fought “the perfect fight,” against Frankie Edgar, but also played it safe.
– The UFC president does now expect Jose Aldo to go on to fight Conor McGregor to unify the title next, though when that might happen will all depend on how ‘The Notorious’ does against Nate Diaz in their rematch at UFC 202 in August.
– White thinks fans remembered why they loved Anderson Silva after his decision to step up to fight Daniel Cormieron two days notice, and he says that he “respects both guys very much.”
– He calls Brock Lesnar “a freak of nature” for coming back with a win, despite his relative lack of experience in MMA and the fact that he’s been out for five years. He’d have like to have seen Lesnar really go all out to find a finish with his ground and pound, but “he did what he had to do.”
– As for the chances of seeing Lesnar back in the Octagon in the future, White says that he wouldn’t interfere with someone else’s contract, so it’d be down to Lesnar to get the ball rolling.
– White thought that Amanda Nunes “looked incredible,” and broke Miesha Tate’s nose before finishing her with the rear-naked choke submission.
