Dana White admits ‘big mistakes were made’ with the UFC’s decision NOT to re-sign Shane Burgos
UFC boss Dana White says there were ‘big mistakes’ that led to Shane Burgos being cut from the fighting promotion.
The lightweight contender’s contract came to an end in July – with his decision win over Charles Jourdain proving to be his final bout for the company.
Burgos has since signed with rivals Professional Fighters League, having insisted on free agency, and now White says that the American should ‘still be here’.
Dana White admits that ‘big mistakes were made’ in the UFC’s bid to re-sign Shane Burgos
Burgos had an 8-3 record in the UFC before joining the Professional Fighters League
Speaking to Yahoo! Sports, White said: ‘Basically, there were some mistakes that were made here, some s*** that… he should’ve still been here,’ White said. ‘I respect him very much and I wish him the best.
‘100 percent [mistakes were made], 100 percent. Big mistakes were made over here.’
Burgos made his UFC debut in 2016 and slowly built his way up through the lightweight division – only losing to Edson Barboza, Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett out of his 11 bouts in the promotion.
The UFC chief recently reinstated that he will NOT raise fighter pay despite public outcries
Meanwhile, Burgos revealed that PFL’s offer was a lot higher than what the UFC were offering.
While the UFC side feels like they made a mistake, Burgos is quite confident he made the right decision for himself and his family.
Speaking on The MMA Hour, he said: ‘When it’s all said and done after the first season — obviously, I plan on winning — I’ll be a multi-millionaire.’
The UFC chief says ‘boxing has been absolutely destroyed’ by increasing pay rises
White’s revelation comes shortly after he stated that he will not increase the amount his fighters are paid, despite previous outcries from those inside and outside the sport.
White went on to say he believes high profile boxers are overpaid and criticized the impact boxing has had on other combat sports.
‘Boxing has absolutely been destroyed, because of money and all the things that go on,’ White said. ‘It’s never gonna happen while I’m here. Believe me, these guys get paid what they’re supposed to get paid. They eat what they kill.
