White Scoffs at Strikeforce Threat

LAS VEGAS -- UFC President Dana White on Thursday brushed off rival promotion Strikeforce and any potential threat the San Jose, Calif.-based organization poses.

“I worry about Strikeforce all the time,” White said with a sarcastic grin, as he wrapped up a pre-fight press conference for UFC 109 “Relentless,” scheduled for Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Strikeforce “Miami” drew less than 5,000 in paid attendance on Jan. 30 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., despite the presence of two title fights, former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Bobby Lashley and the ballyhooed professional mixed martial arts debut of 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. Disclosed fighter salaries for the event totaled $469,600; the gate was $301,424.60.

“Strikeforce is a lower-level show where younger fighters and guys who aren’t fighting in the UFC can go and make some money,” White added. “It will never be anything else -- ever.”

Walker, the 47-year-old former NFL all-pro defeated Greg Nagy in a three-round heavyweight bout, stopping the Rage in the Cage veteran on third-round strikes. White credited Walker for showing up in optimum physical condition but laughed at the idea he would ever amount to anything other than a sideshow attraction.

“He’s one of the greatest athletes ever,” White said. “He’s not one of these former NFL guys who blew up and weighs 400 pounds. He took care of himself. Do you want me to take him seriously in this sport? I can’t. What’s he ever going to accomplish? The guy he fought had no athletic ability, no stand-up, no ground.”

Other tidbits from the UFC’s frontman included:

• UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, still recovering from a life-threatening intestinal disorder, could be ready to fight in “late June or early July,” if needed. White indicated the winners of the Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira-Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 110 and the Frank Mir-Shane Carwin bout at UFC 111 could meet to determine Lesnar’s next opponent;

• In terms of international expansion, White pointed to China, South Korea and India as the UFC’s next three targets. Now that it has landed the 2016 Summer Olympics, Brazil has also moved onto the promotion’s radar. White credited UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta for the progress on the global front. “I couldn’t have done what he did. How fast he’s done the international stuff has been staggering. I had a 10-year plan; it may be a four-year plan now,” White said;

• White discussed the reasons behind Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz’s absence from the Octagon and pointed to his infamous post-fight scrap with Joe Riggs following their match at UFC 57 four years ago. “I like Nick Diaz very much, but you’ve got to follow certain rules and guidelines. After his last fight in the UFC, he got into a fight at the hospital. The kid is very talented and probably should be in the UFC, but it’s the stuff away from the Octagon,” White said.