Everybody needs a thrill. We all got a space to fill. | Managing Editor, Combat @USATODAYSports | San Diego State '05
Los Angeles (via Gonzales, CA)
Joined September 2009
- Tweets17.5K
- Following1.1K
- Followers2.4K
- Likes13.5K
Seems to me the chances of Dana White becoming White House press secretary are about the same as Dana booking a fight between Elon and Zuckerberg three years ago.
We’re just living in the stupidest timeline.
"I have a meeting on Monday, I'm flying to DC right now and I'm sure we'll have something to talk about after that."
Dana White gives his first reaction to President Trump offering him the job of US Press Secretary.
(via @Zuffa_Boxing)
Simon Samano retweeted
It’s not just MMA. …It’s the world that’s rotting there was a time when people hid behind fake accounts to say the stupid things they were too ashamed to say publicly. …Now the masks are off. The side of people they used to keep hidden behind closed doors is out now .We live in a world where people are so desperate for a viral moment that they don’t care whether the attention is good or bad. Respect, decency, and basic humanity are being sacrificed for clicks and views… the saddest thing is People are starting to think this is normal.
Just an absolutely delusional thing to say about the guy who, according to Ilia, almost caused him to go blind because he used his face as a punching bag. Beyond stupid.
Ilia Topuria says Justin Gaethje is a "nobody" and doesn't call the shots 😬
"He won't have any say in absolutely anything. He doesn't call any shots. This is between the UFC and me. Whatever we decide, whatever's best for us, that's what Justin will do.
Justin is a nobody. Imagine, if I fight Paddy, Justin even as the champion would have to be the co-main event. Who could you match him with that would be bigger than my fight with Paddy?"
(via @abc_es, @KOlmeneroMMA)
Imagine being at “ur boys” to “watch a UFC,” and all you want to see are some fights, and then a Trump bribery ad pops up on the screen.
Oh wait, that was just this past Saturday.
But I’m sure it was the “pussy there talking about MMA politics” that killed the vibe. 🥴
Simon Samano retweeted
I mean this seriously:
If he genuinely believes tonight's results are not a direct response to his presidency and his administration, he must step down.
That means he cannot process basic information properly or make the simplest correlations. He's unfit for office.
Simon Samano retweeted
Trump is such a pathetic bitch. He'll go to his grave shirking responsibility for anything. He literally told the nation to vote like he was on the ballot despite having historically high negatives and, I don't know, halfway ruining the country. All-time weakling.
Simon Samano retweeted
She was falling 27,000 feet in a minute in an iced-up jet. In about 35 seconds she declared a mayday, gave her tail number, descent rate, overspeed and a 60-degree bank. That's the job. Then she died with eight other people, and you're grading her tone. Fuck you.
A pilot should not:
🔘become hysterical
🔘speak too quickly to be intelligible
🔘say, "We're going to crash into the ground!"
🔘scream like a little girl
🔘hyperventilate
🔘scream like a little girl again
A pilot needs a certain disposition. This is not it. That's the reality.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
"In a two-pilot cockpit, the person talking to air traffic control is typically NOT the person flying the aeroplane."
instagram.com/reel/DfNtzvGTY…
Nobody knows how they are going to behave in a very distressing & worsening situation, why be judgemental on a situation we all hope we are never in.
lifeworksaz.com/counselors-blo…
Hall of Fame coach calling plays.
Hall of Fame tight end.
Elite rushing attack.
People on this app keep saying that’s enough help for any QB considered elite. They’re talking about Brock Purdy, of course. But you mean Patrick Mahomes, too? 😮
"Even a great Samurai can't win a sword fight with a plastic knife. Patrick Mahomes - you have got to get him help."
@colincowherd thinks the league has figured out how to slow down Mahomes & the Chiefs
Simon Samano retweeted
El-Sayed: "How expensive is having kids? ... The party that wants to tell me that they're pronatalist, their solution is: let's cut taxes for the billionaires, and let's go to wars we have no business fighting... do not be surprised when people don't have kids."
BuT thE uFc is NOT poLiTicaL 🥴
Here's Donald Trump promising $5,000 to Americans for voting Republican during the #UFCVegas123 broadcast.
Bruh.
Simon Samano retweeted
I’ve always been shocked how it’s not a serious conflict of interest. How can you have 2 fighters best interest at heart when they’re fighting each other. Making the call to someone telling them the matchup is great for them and that there gonna be a future world champ and then hanging up and making the same call to the other fighter meanwhile getting paid off both is wild to me
Simon Samano retweeted
In 2017, Jason House said it was “just too tough for me” to watch his first client vs client UFC fight. On tomorrow's UFC card, Iridium has three client-vs-client fights.
So from client-vs-client fights to taking a percentage of discretionary POTN bonuses, how are the fighters' best interests being looked out for?
By 2022, House said Iridium represented approximately 115 UFC fighters, a number that’s seemingly only grown since, representing approximately ~20% of the current UFC roster.
I’m not suggesting anything improper about the fights themselves, but genuinely curious how fighters are comfortable looking across the cage and seeing their own management team representing the person trying to beat them?
How do you promise two opponents you’re fully behind them and fighting for their best interests when their interests directly conflict?
A manager’s job isn’t just securing fights. It’s negotiating compensation, matchmaking, and career opportunities, both inside and outside of the cage. Every decision to accept an opponent, push for more money, or advocate for the next booking requires putting the individual fighter’s interests first.
But perhaps the craziest part is what House said on the JAXXON Podcast.
When Rampage Jackson asked whether Iridium takes a percentage of UFC fight-night bonuses, House confirmed it does:
“If I’m gonna come home with half my money when you lose, then when you win, I should be able to eat as well.”
Taking a commission on negotiated purses is one thing. But what exactly earns a manager a percentage of a discretionary performance bonus awarded for what a fighter physically accomplishes inside the cage?
Lawyers face strict conflict of interest rules. NFL and NBA agents operate under union certification and conflict rules. Even boxing has federal protections governing promoter-manager relationships. MMA has no comparable industry-wide framework.
And how aggressively can an agency representing over a hundred UFC fighters negotiate against the promotion it depends on to keep those fighters booked? The UFC doesn’t need to coordinate anything for those competing incentives to potentially work in its favor.
None of this proves wrongdoing. But transparency about commissions doesn’t resolve conflicts of interest.
One card. Three fights. Both sides under one agency.
Just a smaller picture example, but genuinely curious who is independently advocating for each fighter?
There are 4 fights this weekend at #UFCVegas123 where 7 of the 8 fighters involved are all Iridium Sports Agency clients.
Now, I’m no business savant or financial guru, but it seems to me that’s a bit of a strange situation for the athletes. Exactly whose interests are being looked after here?
