Dana White has slammed reports that Mark Zuckerberg has booked out Saturday night's UFC event for a private party as "total bulls***".
Facebook founder Zuckerberg is a known fan of MMA, and has been training over the past few years alongside fighters after falling in love with the sport. And reports began to swirl that he had booked out the UFC's Apex facility in Las Vegas this weekend for a private event, banning fans from buying tickets and even media from covering the fights this week.
Main event fighter Mackenzie Dern added weight to the rumours when she told reporters at the pre-fight press conference that Zuckerberg was planning to attend. She theorised that he may be hosting an event, or just enjoying a special evening with wife Priscilla Chan.
"I know Mark Zuckerberg rented out the whole event," Dern let slip ahead of the fight. "So I know he'll be there, but I don't know if it's literally him and his wife or if he's going to have friends or if it will be like a small party, I don't know. But from someone who wanted a main event with a crowd going to very, very private I'm definitely like 'okay'.
"We're going to be back like a sparring, it's a different type of adversity that you have to get through because you get distracted so easily. Any commentating or anything, if you're not focused your mind can get distracted. So I'm excited and that just makes me more driven to put on a good show for everyone watching on TV and for Mark and whoever's going to be there."
However, White has claimed that the story about Zuckerberg is not true, slamming comedian Adam Hunter who made a joke about the situation on Twitter. Hunter, the host of MMA Roasted, is known for his tongue-in-cheek humour and had told his followers that with Zuckerberg renting out the Apex, Bellator were renting their venue out to Tom Anderson, better known as 'Tom from Myspace'.
Why do you think Dana White has banned fans and media from this weekend's fight night? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
But White hit back, telling the comedian: "Mark Zuckerberg did NOT rent out the UFC Apex. That’s total bulls***." The UFC boss has been defensive over why exactly the event has been completely shut off to fans and media, refusing to give a legitimate answer when asked after an episode of Contender Series on Tuesday night.
"You guys have been so busy lately we just figured we'd give you guys a night off," he joked. "You guys are here on Tuesdays, you're here on Saturdays, I mean, we needed to give you guys a break, so you're welcome. If there's anything else I can do for you guys this week, let me know.
"You guys should stay home, order a pizza and watch the fights, take them in and enjoy yourselves. There's no big secret, there's a little trouble maker here whose been poking around all week, she thinks she's got something but she doesn't have enough to announce it... I love you guys, I can't do enough for you, so I wanted to give you guys a nice weekend off with your families."
