“If you want to talk to me about that, set up an interview. This isn’t about me and my business. It’s about these two guys on Saturday night,” as boos echoed, Dana White replied, pointing at Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. Just minutes earlier, at the final presser for the big showdown at Allegiant Stadium last week, boxing journalist Sean Zittel rose from his seat. He asked Dana White why he wanted to change the Muhammad Ali Reform Act, a law meant to protect fighters at a time when he himself was facing a lawsuit from former UFC fighters.

Dana White stood firm, insisting that all stakeholders, the fighters, teams, promotions, fans, and media, had gathered to discuss the Canelo-Crawford fight. He even suggested setting up an interview to explain his position in detail. It has been a week since Zittel asked those pressing questions. Terence Crawford now reigns, holding the super middleweight’s four belts. Yet what Zittel asked continues to reverberate. His timing and method may have divided opinions. But in light of UFC’s $375 million antitrust settlement, his questions still feel relevant, especially to those who appeared on the list of fighters receiving compensation.

That’s courage on display for this former UFC heavyweight!

One of them is Brendan Schaub. In the last episode of his podcast ‘Thiccc Boy,’ Schaub revisited the now-infamous moment when Sean Zittel confronted Dana White. Criticizing the UFC president for calling Zittel an ‘a***hole‘ simply for asking a tough question, the former UFC fighter said, “That’s the state of, you know, combat sports. Yeah, you know, if you want to be an a**hole. Whoa, whoa, hold on. I’m an a**hole for asking questions about fighter pay and the Ali Act.”

Schaub then laid out the reality. Dana White is arguably the biggest fight promoter in the world. The chance of securing a one-on-one interview with him remains slim. Most likely, he would skip it. “Are you really going to take that interview? The answer is no. The answer is absolutely. He will not give that guy access to him,” the former heavyweight fighter remarked.

Sean Zittel’s bold stand clearly impressed the 42-year-old. But Schaub also warned that Zittel may have risked his own career by speaking up. “I don’t know who that young man is who asked that question, but f**king good for you, bud. You’ll never work again, but good for you,” Schaub said.

For Brendan Schaub, the matter feels personal.

Standing up takes guts… but when and where also count

By chance, his lawyer informed him that his name was on the list of fighters receiving a portion of the multimillion-dollar antitrust settlement. The lawsuit covered the years 2013 to 2018, which was essentially Schaub’s entire UFC career.

The settlement compensated fighters from that period because the UFC was accused of monopolistic practices. These included keeping wages low, imposing restrictive contracts, and limiting fighters’ bargaining power. On his podcast, Brendan Schaub joked, “Daddy’s getting a check from the UFC.”

It is clear why Schaub, like many others, might appreciate a journalist such as Sean Zittel taking the bull by the horns. Still, the other side of the story cannot be ignored. No one disputes the importance of the questions Zittel raised. Many share those same concerns.

But did everyone at the presser gather to discuss the proposed amendments to the Muhammad Ali Act? Or did they come to hear about the fight, billed as one of the biggest of the era?

What do you think? Did Sean Zittel do the right thing by raising these questions at the Canelo-Crawford final press conference?