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UFC president Dana White is serious about fighting ESPN host Dan Le Batard for charity. The 50-year-old revealed to Michael Eaves on “SportsCenter” that he’d pony up a quarter-million dollars for any charity if Le Batard, 51, was serious about stepping inside the cage to fight him.
“Dan Le Batard is a big mouth,” White said. “He’s all talk and no action, and I can promise you, if he’s even remotely serious, it ends very badly for him.”
For his part, White had already said he’d be ready and willing to face Le Batard in a charity fight.
Now White added he was also willing to put his money where his mouth was to make the fight happen.
“But I will give you this: Dan Le Batard, if you are serious, I’ll put up $250,000 for whatever charity we come up with and we can do it, pal,” White said.
You can watch White’s conversation with Eaves below.
You’re on the clock, @LeBatardShow.
@danawhite told @michaeleaves he’d pledge $250k for a charity fight against ESPN’s Dan Le Batard 😬
Le Batard later saw the post on social media and demanded more money to fight White.
“He can’t bully the negotiations with his BS low first offer,” Le Batard said via Twitter. “I’m not one of the many fighters he likes to underpay.”
The TV host said he’d send his counteroffer to White next week.
White and Le Batard Agreed to Charity Fight Last Week
White and Le Batard agreed to the charity fight last week, though it all seemed to start off as a joke.
During White’s appearance on ESPN’s “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,” the TV host pushed White on some major issues, including how UFC fighters are compensated and the possibility of them forming a union.
White seemed to be annoyed by Le Batard’s persistent badgering about those issues, especially over how much the UFC paid it’s fighters to compete.
“What the hell do you know? You like to yap,” White said.”You don’t know anything about the business.”
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Co-Host Became Accidental Charity Fight Matchmaker
Co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner seemed to want to break the tension as the interview closed, but instead it seems Weiner might have accidentally become a matchmaker of sorts. Because nobody was talking about a fight until he entered the conversation.
“The fight I want to see is Dana vs. Dan,” Weiner said. “Has Dan been at an all-time annoyance level today or what?”
That’s where the idea seemed to take hold in each man’s mind, and now the two might actually be headed toward facing each other inside the UFC’s Octagon for charity.
“He’s been annoying since birth!” White said. “This is nothing new for Le Batard. He’s been annoying since birth.”
If it happens, Le Batard would have nobody to blame but himself. He could have let White have the last word, but instead he pressed the issue.
“I would like to fight you though,” Le Batard said. “How do you think that would end up going? Can we do that for charity? Can we raise a bunch of money for charity?”
White agreed to it on air, then re-upped the challenge the following week with money in hand.
So perhaps UFC’s first Fight Island card will include an unlikely rumble between White and Le Batard.
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