White Slams Showtime’s Production, UFC’s Daniel Rodriguez Tests Positive For Ostarine
Dana White hit out at Showtime in light of criticism over the UFC and Power Slap’s production.
White has been the president of the UFC for around 23 years. In addition, he did enter into the sport of Power Slap this year.
The latter sport, however, did raise controversy over the safety of participants. This was exacerbated when White was seen striking his wife, Anne, at a New Year’s Eve party.
Despite the criticism heading his way, White defended the UFC. After all, the UFC has signed an exclusive streaming deal with ESPN/ESPN+ for their events. And given the success of the UFC, White had a few words to say about his competitors.
White On Showtime
“Watch some of these boxing events that are on. I mean, Showtime is f***ing horrible. Those guys suck so bad; you f***ing guys could show up with your f***ing video cameras and do a better job than Showtime. Seriously, it’s the worst production in all of television. F***ing PBS has better f***ing programming than Showtime. It’s horrible. Everybody that works on that f***ing show should be embarrassed,” White
Nevertheless, Showtime has put on some mega events this year. The Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight, as well as the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford bout, showed that the network was delivering.
And with Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo to follow, Showtime does not appear to be going anywhere.
White’s UFC Produces A Failed Test
Outside of that, Daniel Rodriguez, the UFC welterweight, has tested positive for Ostarine. The news resulted in Rodriguez’s fight with Santiago Ponzinibbio on September 16th, 2023, being called off.
The substance in question is known for increasing muscle mass. However, Rodriguez confirmed that the amounts in his system were ‘extremely low level.’
Therefore, there were question marks over whether this was a case of contamination, as the fighter denied knowingly taking the drug.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQy2o-v_Z08
“I want to clarify I did not intentionally use Ostarine, nor have I ever knowingly used any prohibited substance in my career. I rarely take any form of supplements and have always strived to care for my body in the most natural ways.
“I strongly believe that a supplement contaminant is the reason for my low-level positive, and am actively working with my manager, [the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency], and the UFC on reviewing and testing the supplements I took prior to my test,” Rodriguez
As of now, USADA has yet to respond to this. However, what it does show is that more work needs to be done in fighters becoming educated over what they consume. And there is no getting away from that.
