Dana White exposes main problem behind UFC champions' inactivity
Dana White blamed money for UFC champions' inactivity, saying fighters who have earned enough do not need to compete all the time. A survey of the 11 belts shows champions with one or two fights in 2026.
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O ano de 2026 rendeu bons números ao UFC no caixa e na audiência, mas os campeões deram pouco espetáculo. Poucos defenderam o cinturão, as negociações travavam e, em alguns casos, faltava disposição para lutar.
Dana White, presidente da empresa, foi questionado sobre o tema pela imprensa na última quarta-feira (4) e não fugiu da explicação óbvia. Um levantamento dos 11 cinturões mostra o quadro: Alexander Volkanovski, Joshua Van, Justin Gaethje, Natália Silva e Sean Strickland fizeram duas lutas em 2026; Carlos Ulberg, Islam Makhachev, Mackenzie Dern e Petr Yan, só uma. Ciryl Gane chega à segunda em 14 de novembro, mesmo dia em que Kayla Harrison estreia no ano.
“Acho que é dinheiro. Quando se ganha muito dinheiro… Quando os caras são jovens e estão famintos, eles querem lutar bastante, porque querem ser pagos. Assim que você começar a ganhar dinheiro suficiente, você não precisa lutar o tempo todo”.
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