“It’s F***ing Fair” – Dana White Strongly Sides With Using Instant Replay in the UFC

Tuesday witnessed the last installment of this year’s Dana White’s Contender Series. However, the curtain on the show didn’t fall down without controversy. A controversial call from referee Marc Goddard left fans wondering if instant replay could’ve improved the situation. The UFC President was heavily in favor of the same.

The last clash of the ten weeks long Dana White’s Contender Series ended with JP Buys submitting Jacob Silva. However, controversy ensued as Silva didn’t tap and wasn’t unconscious either. Buys had locked in a guillotine. On top of it, the angle between the two was such that the referee didn’t have a very good view of Silva’s face. The latter’s lack of movement and snoring, which Goddard claimed he heard, led to him calling an end to the contest.

However, as soon as the fight ended, Silva hopped back to his feet and claimed he was fine. During the post-fight press conference, Dana White didn’t put any blame on the referee, knowing very well that it wasn’t the easiest call to make in that situation.

“That’s a tough one for the ref. One of the things we said earlier is that we brought Jacob Silva back’ cause this kid is a f—ing dog. This kid is never out of a fight. He’s scrappy, he’s tough. He’s well-rounded. Tonight he got screwed. But, on the flip side, when you watch the replay, his feet start to slide and the ref said, which the judge heard it too, that he was snoring,” Dana White said.

Dana White argues why instant replay is in the favor of fighters

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has allowed the use of instant replay in combat sports. However, as we learned last weekend, merely bringing in the technology won’t be sufficient.

On the card where Terence Crawford collided with Kell Brook, NSAC embarrassed itself with an instant replay that lasted 26-minutes, only to give botched results. Despite having heard about the incident, Dana White would still want to have the facility in the UFC.

“I would love to see them use instant replay. Every other sport does it. Every other sport uses instant replay, you know why they use it? Because it’s f–ing fair. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what you should do. These kids invest so much time, energy, and money into their careers and one stupid decision could blow everything for them financially.”

“If you’re one of all the all-time greats and you have the ability to go undefeated, it affects you. It affects how people look back on you in history. It’s the fair thing to do. It’s what’s right,” he added.

The effect that instant replay can have on the sport is something that will have to be validated by the experience of it. However, as last weekend’s boxing card showed us, even the best of technology couldn’t help the cause if the people using it aren’t trained in doing so.

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