Dana White Says He’s No Fan Of Alistair Overeem; Still To Decide On His Future

Since word of Alistair Overeem’s failed drug test first emerged UFC president Dana White has been doing his best to avoid talking about the situation, insisting that he was too angry to discuss it, but with the fighter now officially out of action for nine months after failing to be granted a fighter’s license in Nevada, he’s finally started to reveal his true feelings.

Prior to Tuesday’s hearing White had told reporters that he wasn’t confident that Overeem would be licensed, and while he was proven to be correct in that assumption he still admits to being surprised at home leniant the Nevada State Athletic Commission were with him.

“Nine months isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,”
White said during an interview with ESPN’s Jim Rome. “I thought he would get a year. Easily a year.”

White then makes it clear that he is angry at Overeem for the situation, accusing him of lying to him when he first signed for the promotion by assuring the UFC president that he wasn’t taking drugs and would pass any drug tests with flying colors.

Not only did he then go on to fail a drugs test by a country mile, but by doing so he also put the kybosh on one of the biggest fights of the year, his heavyweight title fight with Junior Dos Santos at UFC 146.

Such a high profile issue with drugs also reflects badly on both the UFC and the sport as a whole, and by the sounds of things it’s not something that White is going to be willing to forgive and forget any time soon.

“I’m not a fan,” White said of the fighter. “I’m not a fan at all. You’re not going to hear me today on your radio show defending Alistair Overeem. Believe me.”

So is his future in the promotion at risk now? White isn’t willing to rule anything out at this stage.

“We’ll see what happens,” he says.

Listen to a clip from White’s interview with Jim Rome below.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.