Despite a lot of hurdles during fight week – the UFC managed to successfully put together a good show for UFC 223. Dana White was relieved following the conclusion of the card, however, he wasn’t happy with some criticism he received.
With both initial opponent, Tony Ferguson and his replacement Max Holloway pulling out, Al Iaquinta stepped in 24 hours before showtime.
All the ruckus seemed to draw criticism from Showtime vice president, Stephen Espinoza. White worked with Espinoza last year during the Mayweather vs McGregor showdown. Espinoza shared his thoughts on UFC 223 on Twitter:
And they claim boxing is lawless.
Never heard a boxing match declared a title fight for both fighters even though one fighter failed to make weight.
Congrats, UFC. You've far outdone boxing in terms of shadiness. But why bother adhering to rules when you don't feel like it? https://t.co/w5JeUoDNKI
— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) April 7, 2018
I have no issue with the fighters. None at all.
My issue is with the organization declaring that almost is good enough on a weigh-in.
Hand grenades, horseshoes and UFC title fights…when almost is good enough. https://t.co/4C3mxlGU5l
— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) April 7, 2018
The comments made by Showtimes Vice President were not well received by Dana White, who has expressed his disliking for Espinoza in the past.
White stated “I don’t want to give this guy any publicity because he loves it, but that greasy, slimy rat Espinoza talking about how, ‘Oh, we break the rules and all this other s**t,’” White said. “What the — what’s that guy — Oh my god. Just keep trying to be HBO and don’t worry about what the f**k we’re doing. You slimy little rat.”
This exchange isn’t the first time that White has publicly shown his disliking for Espinoza, the two had a public dispute over how much success the Mayweather vs McGregor bout actually garnered. The two went back and forth disputing their numbers. Following the debacle, Dana stated that he “despised” Stephen Espinoza and Showtime and that he swore he’d never work with them again.
Following the comments made by the UFC president, Stephen Espinoza responded to his statement with a tweet:
Today I went shopping…and talk is still cheap.
— Stephen Espinoza (@StephenEspinoza) April 8, 2018
