UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Vince McMahon nixed a past TV deal that would have seen the UFC head to NBC and USA Network.
Speaking on the Triggered podcast, White was asked about his relationship with McMahon — a topic that has come up frequently with White in recent interviews.
White again spoke about how McMahon and the UFC had their battles in the past as McMahon saw everyone as competition and that "he was one of those guys who would f**king stick it to me for whatever reason."
White then went into a specific detail he hadn't delved into before, saying that the UFC was on "the one-yard line" to sign a deal with NBC to air fights on both NBC and USA Network. However, at that point, the WWE head had the final say on whether another combat sports property could come onto USA's airwaves.
White said he and then-UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta flew out to Connecticut to meet with McMahon and get his signoff. After some small talk, they got to the point of their visit and McMahon sat back in his chair and said, "Yeah, I'm not going to do that."
When they asked why, White said that McMahon said, "Eh, I'm not that interested in it. I don't like the idea of you guys on USA Network."
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After the deal blew up, UFC then pivoted and eventually signed a seven-year deal with Fox in August 2011. While White didn't specify the timeline of when the McMahon talk happened, it's assumed to be in 2011 based on the timeline.
White said now that he and McMahon, executive chairman of TKO Holdings, are in business together, "he couldn't be a better partner. He keeps me in the loop with everything going on, making sure I'm cool with decisions that could affect the UFC."