Has Dana White become the biggest combat sports promoter in the world? That’s what fans have been asking after the UFC head honcho took charge of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing match under the TKO banner. As many expected, the event shattered big numbers, becoming the third-largest gate in boxing history with $47 million in ticket sales. But while the UFC boss is getting plenty of praise, he hasn’t escaped criticism either. Why?

Many believe White didn’t devote enough attention to the UFC Noche Fight Night event. Sure, it’s understandable that he was busy handling one of the biggest boxing spectacles ever. Still, fans felt there wasn’t much thought put into building the card or curating the show. For the audience, especially Mexican fans, this event is an annual celebration of their Independence Day. Daniel Cormier certainly thinks so. And if you know DC, he doesn’t hold back. 

Daniel Cormier voices disappointment as Dana White overlooks UFC Noche  

On a podcast with Aljamain Sterling, the former two-division UFC champ said, “This year, San Antonio kinda s–ed. It didn’t feel as big ‘cause the boxing fight was happening. And it felt like so much was going into the boxing fight. And San Antonio sucks, I gotta be honest.” But ‘DC’ didn’t stop there. On his podcast, the former champ didn’t mince words, “That arena is terrible. That was horrible, bro. It took us almost an hour to get out of there.” 

Well, the UFC legend didn’t call out Dana White by name. But since he was the one who put the event together, both the praise and the criticism naturally landed on his shoulders. This year’s Noche event was originally set for Guadalajara, Mexico, but due to construction issues at the arena, it was shifted into a Fight Night card. Basically, a decent solution at the time. Still, most of the complaints centered around the card itself.

Fans seemed invested only in the headliner of Diego Lopes vs Jean Silva, while the rest of the fights lacked real stakes. Compared to the previous UFC Paris card, it felt like a clear step down. That’s why many have been accusing the UFC CEO of not giving the event enough attention while focusing instead on the Canelo vs. Crawford superfight. Even so, the San Antonio event did manage to grab some eyes. Especially thanks to a thrilling main event. And that’s one part Daniel Cormier couldn’t help but praise. 

Cormier praises Diego Lopes for the outstanding KO at Noche   

Diego Lopes faced Jean Silva in a high-stakes clash in the UFC Noche main event. After an exciting card, fans were hooked to see the headliners go at it in a heated bout. As expected, two of the best 145ers went to absolute war for two rounds. But Lopes ended up outclassing Silva with a spinning back elbow KO in front of the San Antonio crowd, giving the spectacle a dramatic finish.

After that knockout, fans began comparing it to Lerone Murphy’s spinning elbow from UFC 319. Overall, the Brazilian showed why he went toe-to-toe with Alexander Volkanovski. Daniel Cormier, impressed by Lopes’ performance, said on his YouTube channel, “Diego Lopes is the real deal, man. We always knew he was good, but tonight showed that he is on a different level than most guys.”

That wasn’t all. Cormier also highlighted the improvements he noticed in Lopes’ game since his loss to Volkanovski at UFC 314 in Miami. He added, “So we shouldn’t take too much from the fight against Volkanovski. He goes into the fighter meeting, ‘I learned a lot. I know I lost,’ and nobody wants to lose, but what do you do with the information you gain whenever you lose?”

With this win, Lopes’ chances of facing Volkanovski again have only increased. Now, the buzz is deafening. Diego Lopes went from headliner-in-waiting to genuine title contender. And while Dana White is busy breaking records in boxing, his next featherweight star might be exploding right under his nose.