UFC President Dana White doesn’t feel that Islam Makhachev‘s criticism of the company’s promotion of UFC 284 is justified.
Makhachev will face UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 284 main event this Saturday. He’ll defend his lightweight belt for the first time after defeating Charles Oliveira last October at UFC 280.
Makhachev, despite being days away from arguably the biggest fight of his career, is unhappy with how UFC 284 has been promoted. He feels that he and Volkanovski should’ve been allowed to have a global media tour, amongst other promotional endeavors, leading up to fight night.
UFC 284 could potentially shatter a pay-per-view record of Conor McGregor‘s this weekend. After getting word of Makhachev’s comments, White has hit back at the UFC lightweight champion.
Dana White: Islam Makhachev’s Criticism Taken Out Of Context
During a recent interview on The Jim Rome Show, White responded to Makhachev’s critiques of the marketing surrounding UFC 284.
“Yeah, that’s not true,” White replied. “First of all, I’ve talked to Islam. First of all, who interviewed him? Who translated for him? I mean, the guy speaks Russian. Taken out of context.
“First of all, he lives in Dagestan. What does he know about what’s going on for the promotion of the fight? He doesn’t know anything,” White continued on Makhachev. “It’s going to be one of the top-five biggest fights of all-time. First of all, the event sold out. Right? You couldn’t get a ticket if you wanted to get a ticket in Perth. And this thing is trending right now to be the biggest pay-per-view event in Australia, which, it’s like six percent behind the Conor McGregor [vs. Dustin] Poirier 3 fight. It’s probably going to break the record. So to say that the fight hasn’t been [promoted], that’s just ridiculous. That’s what you call some internet BS.”
Makhachev, a top protégé of Khabib Nurmagomedov, has the chance to earn the UFC’s pound-for-pound No. 1 spot with a victory this weekend. He could potentially become a global superstar, much like Nurmagomedov during his lightweight title run.
Despite Makhachev’s concerns, his showdown with Volkanovski is one of the biggest fights of 2023. It’s the latest in a series of champion vs. champion matchups, with most of them featuring some of the most memorable moments in UFC history.
Volkanovski has questioned the validity behind Makhachev’s concerns, stating that Makhachev could do more to promote the event. He allegedly was absent from a pre-fight ceremony in Perth welcoming fighters from outside of Australia.
As UFC 284 approaches, White feels the Makhachev/Volkanovski fight is selling itself as one of the biggest clashes in recent UFC history.
All quotes from MMA Fighting