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Dana White Rips & Praises Mexican Boxing Legend Following UFC 306

Despite choice words for Oscar De La Hoya, UFC CEO Dana White gave him his props after UFC 306.

Zain Bando

UFC CEO Dana White looks on during an event.
UFC CEO Dana White looks on during an event. / (via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Although Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya will likely never get along, it didn't stop the UFC CEO from taking a verbal jab at the ex-boxing superstar of Mexican descent.

White didn't dwell too much on his answer at the UFC 306 post-fight presser, but, in typical White fashion, called it like he saw it. The feud dates back seven years, beginning with the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor boxing match and De La Hoya's disdain for it, followed by White bashing Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 in Nov. 2018.

It was De La Hoya's lone MMA booking under the now-defunct "Golden Boy MMA" promotion, which White correctly predicted would be a flop.

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"He's an a**hole, but you can't deny what he did," White said. "I mean, the guy, you know what I mean? He's a f****** lunatic, but he was a bad boy in his day...before he got his fake abs."

De La Hoya announced earlier in the week he would be in attendance at UFC 306, instead of Canelo Alvarez's eventual 12-round unanimous decision win against Edgar Berlanga. Unlike the UFC event, the Alvarez fight took place at the UFC's primary home, the T-Mobile Arena.

UFC 306 was unlike any other UFC event. The promotion had many promotional elements, including a snippet featuring De La Hoya and a five-part movie series chronicling the history of Mexican fighting.

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White reassured everyone that UFC 306 will remain a one-and-done, but did affirm the event was a raving success. From merchandise sales to ESPN+ pre-buys, it was everything the UFC had an anticipated the card to be.

White said he hopes UFC 306 will serve as a jumping-off point for other sports leagues and teams to utilize the Sphere for their own needs, but for now, only time will tell.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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