Dana White reacts to UFC 251 success, calls Jorge Masvidal “A massive star”
It’s official: UFC 251 was a financial success and Jorge Masvidal is a true star of MMA – That’s what UFC president Dana White feels, at least. Despite being an event that dealt with adversity, it also had a slew of entertaining and memorable fights. Most of the attention was probably brought by Masvidal, who stepped in on just six days notice to challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title. 2019 was a star-making year for Masvidal, who won three straight fights via T/KO, and also winning the BMF title.
Initial reports from The Athletic state that UFC 251 did 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, a sentiment that was echoed by White at the UFC 251 post fight press conference.
“It was a very successful event,” White said about the pay-per-view buys for UFC 251. “We’re happy. This thing killed it across the board in every way you could possibly kill it. It was awesome. The thing did really well.”
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White also admitted that Masvidal played a large role in the event’s success and overall popularity, calling the welterweight standout a “star”.
“I said it to you guys the other night, when you put on a fight, a successful promotion of an event, it’s a big melting pot of different things,” White explained. “’Fight Island’ was a massive star in this thing. Masvidal is a massive star. Obviously, Usman, the champion and a guy that we’re all start to realize is tough to beat and a great card underneath.
“It all came together perfectly. It was a major success. Everybody’s healthy. It’s all good. Literally not one negative thing that I could point out.”
While UFC 251 was a financial success, the main event will hardly go down as a classic fight. Usman controlled much of the fight in the clinch or on the ground, neutralising most of Masvidal’s striking. However, it’s quite clear that Masvidal’s star still burns bright following UFC 251.
