It would be like NFL commissioner Roger Goodell publicly declaring the Broncos don't have a chance against the Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
UFC president Dana White recently doubted UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor's chances against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos as McGregor moves up a weight class for their title fight at UFC 196 in March.
Dana White Acting As Ronda Rousey's Publicist
"I don't see how he wins this fight," White told At The Buzzer, via SB Nation's Bloody Elbow. "He's the 145-pound champion. He can stay in his own lane."
"This guy is moving up to 155 to take on an animal, who destroyed Cowboy Cerrone, destroyed Anthony Pettis. And this isn't boxing, where you move up two or three pounds. You move up 15 pounds!"
Dana White Smugness Disappears In Recanting Holm-Rousey Rematch In July
Besides needing a refresher in the intricacies of addition, White is acting like WWE CEO Vince McMahon in promoting his sport. Except that the WWE is scripted, and McMahon isn't one to make predictions about the outcome because, well, they're scripted.
White's comment about McGregor could sway the betting line in the title fight toward Dos Anjos, and that is wrought with potential problems. He simply could be trying to drum up more interest in the fight by talking about the less heralded Dos Anjos, as Bloody Elbow suggests, but if that's the case, see the Goodell reference above.
As UFC president, White continually shows bad form by revealing his bias about fighters and matches. He is bending over backward to accommodate the wishes of former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in their expected rematch with current champion Holly Holm.
White's catering to Rousey's needs in terms of the timing of the rematch over Holm's objections gives White's close friend an unfair advantage. He moved up the original fight between Rousey and Holm from January to November and would argue that Holm's knockout victory shows his bias has nothing to do with the outcome.
In fact, pushing up the bout to give Rousey more time off after the fight may have inadvertently given Holm an unintended advantage because it gave Rousey less time to focus on her opponent in the hoopla of her other commitments.
But that also should serve as a reason White needs to distance himself from his fighters. His bias is affecting his product one way or another.
And that is bad for the sport.
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