UFC At War With MGM, Not Canelo

White denied the UFC was competing with Canelo Alvarez over Mexican Independence Day weekend, instead pointing to a business dispute with MGM over use of the T-Mobile Arena.

The UFC is going head to head with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day weekend, but the real battle isn’t taking place in the ring or cage, it’s in backrooms between White and MGM executives that manage the T-Mobile Arena.

UFC CEO Dana White spoke on the situation following a Contender Series event on Tuesday (watch highlights from the event here), cooling down rising temperatures between his promotion and Al Haymon, who is promoting Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga on September 14th at T-Mobile. That’s the same night the UFC holds Riyadh Season Noche UFC at the Sphere featuring Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili.

“I don’t think it’s a battle,” White said. “Listen. I said props to Al Heyman, he slid right in there before we were even done with the weekend and took the date from us without MGM telling us. So [MGM Resorts president] Bill Hornbuckle is trying to trying to fix this whole thing. That’s why he gave me the Sphere this year. And I’m sure we’ll get it figured out.”

White made sure to make a distinction between the MGM execs he liked and the MGM execs who are ‘douchebags.’

“When I say MGM, it’s the guys who run [T-Mobile Arena] who have been literally disrespecting us since day one of the relationship. So now Bill Hornbuckle, the guy who runs MGM, had to get in the middle of this thing and try to fix it. That’s how I ended up at the Sphere. It’s a one and done. We’ll be back with MGM, and hopefully Bill can figure this thing out between us and the f—ing guys that run the arena.”

Asked who would have the bigger gate between Noche UFC and the Canelo fight, White shrugged.

“MGM’s guaranteeing the gate for that [Canelo] fight,” he said. “Yeah, they’re guaranteeing the gate. So why would they not go on that date if MGM is gonna put up all the money?”

“Extra kick in the balls? Yeah. That’s what they do. This is what these guys have done for the last however many years. It’s f—ing crazy. There’s a documentary coming out. I lay this s— all out in the documentary. You’ll hear every little detail of what has happened with us in the MGM over the last 23 years. It’s f—ing crazy. You’ll be like, what?”

“I just think that the guy who runs the the arena has been a complete douchebag to us for 23 years. That’s what I think.”

“Hayman and Canelo are just doing their thing,” White concluded. “Props to them. Good for them that you guys could actually slide in and steal the date from us that easily without a phone call, without anything. Good for you. I would too if that’s what I could do. Right? But that’s just a sliver of the disrespect that these guys at the arena have shown us over the last however many years. It’s crazy.”

The whole situation calls into question the UFC’s continued use of the T-Mobile Arena, which is the venue they’ve used for almost every major Las Vegas event since 2017.

“You know, our our deal will be up eventually and we’ll have to figure that out,” White said. “But that’s what I keep telling you, Bill Hornbuckle is in the middle of this thing trying to figure it out and make it better.”

Well Godspeed to you, Bill Hornbuckle. Can’t wait to see the documentary.