White pulls no punches against 'wimpy' media

If nothing else, UFC boss Dana White is consistent in his love-hate relationship with the media.

While desperately trying to salvage hype for lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's much-anticipated title defense against Tony Ferguson in UFC 249 on April 18, White recently took to Instagram to slam media criticism regarding his company's delayed reaction to COVID-19.

In a streamed session with fighter Kamaru Usman on March 19, White said that some of the reporters who cover UFC are "the weakest, wimpiest people on Earth".

His comments came five days after UFC Fight Night 170 was staged in an empty arena in Brasilia－in marked contrast to every other major North American sports league suspending their schedules.

White and the UFC were heavily criticized for holding the 12-bout card in the Brazilian capital, which saw only the fighters, trainers, TV production personnel and UFC officials inside the 25,000-seat Nilson Nelson Gymnasium.

In his response, White, who has long had a roller-coaster relationship with the media, didn't pull any punches.

"Think about this: Go online and look at some of these people－and this isn't a knock, this is just fact: The weakest, wimpiest people on Earth cover the biggest, baddest sport on Earth," he said.

"What do you expect them to say. What do you think they're gonna say? I have over 350 employees working for me. Multibillion-dollar companies are laying off all their employees right now.

"We haven't laid off one person at UFC … and every fighter that fights for me will fight three times this year. Our schedule will go on."

At this point in the interview, White unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade against the media, saying "they don't feed families", "don't have people that count on them" and "don't have people to support".

He also lauded UFC's supposed dedication to medical testing even before the outbreak began. "We were taking care of people and making sure that everybody's healthy, and every fighter that's with me is getting much better medical attention than they would at home," White added.

The absence of fans in Brasilia provided an eerie backdrop for UFC Fight Night 170, which was telecast worldwide by ESPN and headlined by Charles Oliveira's three-round submission of former lightweight championship challenger Kevin Lee.

The walk-on music reverberated off empty seats as the fighters made their way to the cage, while ring announcer Joe Martinez barked their names and records into the cavernous void.

"It was a bit weird not having any fans inside the arena," Swedish bantamweight Bea Malecki told Sports Illustrated. "But I was able to hear every word my coaches were saying, and it was good. It was a crazy week; we didn't know if the fights were going to happen or not, but we stuck to the plan. It was really emotional."

Meanwhile, as White continues to seek a suitable venue for the Nurmagomedov/Ferguson fight, UFC's biggest star, lightweight Conor McGregor, has posted an online plea for his native Ireland and the rest of the world to go into full lockdown mode.

McGregor last week posted a video through his MacLife You-Tube channel urging a united front in establishing a worldwide lockdown to fight COVID-19.

"I want to call upon my people, the great people of Ireland, because this fight needs us all," McGregor says in the video.

"We are all in the red corner together, awaiting the bell, so let's gather together and ring the bell ourselves－including the people of the rest of the world. True lockdown must begin and it must begin now!"

McGregor also took to Twitter to share an exchange with Ireland's finance minister, Paschal Donohoe, showing that the Dubliner is putting his money where his mouth is.

"Today I am purchasing myself 1 million euro worth of personal protective equipment to be deployed to all the fighting hospitals in the Leinster region," McGregor wrote, referring to the east of Ireland. "It is our most affected region so far."