Dana White Leaves UFC Nashville Main Event Early, Skips Post-Fight Press Conference

Dana White was not happy with the UFC Nashville main event on Saturday night. After Cory Sandhagen dominated Rob Font for 25 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory, White reportedly left the arena early and skipped the post-fight press conference.

Dana White walked out during the 4th round. #UFCNashville

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) August 6, 2023

Dana White’s Disappointment

It is unclear why White was so disappointed with the main event. Some have speculated that he was unhappy with the lack of action in the fight. Others have suggested that he was upset with both Sandhagen and Font’s performances.

Whatever the reason, White’s reaction was certainly out of character. He is known for being a passionate promoter, but he rarely leaves events early or skips press conferences.

Implications for the Future

It is unclear what the implications of White’s reaction will be for the UFC. Some have suggested that it could lead to changes in the way fights are promoted. Others have suggested that it could lead to a rift between White and Sandhagen.

Sandhagen after the fight in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping in the octagon called for the winner between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley who will be battling it out for the UFC’s bantamweight championship at UFC 292 on August 19th.

This could be a case where even though Sandhagen should be one of the fighters that are next in line for a title shot but he didn’t perform to the best of his abilities and fought a very non-friendly style by just grappling his way to a victory over Rob Font. Many fighters and fans alike have made comments on the lack of action in the main event at UFC Nashville.

That is what prompted Dana White to just get up and leave midway through round four. It is unfortunate because Sandhagen revealed a pretty severe elbow injury that he had to battle through just to make the fight happen. He fought safely to secure his win as well as keep from injuring his elbow even more but more importantly to keep this main event fight intact for the fans. It remains to be seen what will be next for Sandhagen but it seems like a title shot doesn’t seem imminent for him.