Elliott Fight Dynamics

Dana White Says MMA May Have Shot as Olympic Sport

 

Wresting is slated to be dropped from the lineup of Olympic sports as of 2020. This, obviously, will come as a disappointment to many UFC fighters and those trying to get into the UFC, as Olympic wresting is sometimes the springboard that propels them into MMA fighting. At a press conference following UFC on Fuel 7, Dana White said that MMA may be on its way to becoming a Olympic sport for a very simple reason: it draws viewers.

 

“The problem is, nobody wants to watch it,” White said at the conference, a video of which was posted on YouTube. White noted that there is a heavy commercial foundation to the success of any sport in the modern world and that wresting doesn’t seem to bring in viewers. He did praise what wrestling does for fighters, however, stating that it’s a great base for MMA and that it takes a great deal of dedication and work on the part of wrestlers to become successful at the fighting art.

 

Asked about the naysayers who claim that the elimination of wrestling from the Olympics indicates that MMA would never be an Olympic sport, White noted that MMA brings a great deal of public interest with it and that may mean all the difference in getting MMA recognized as an Olympic sport. “Whether it’s on TV or wherever it is, this sport draws. Wrestling doesn’t.” White said.

 

White said that he’s funded quite a few wresting programs over recent years and that he didn’t want to see it go away. He said he felt wresting would evolve into MMA or something else.

 

The cut is not said and done as of yet. The International Olympic Committee has the option to overturn the decision and reinstate wrestling as an Olympic event when it meets in September.