ABU DHABI – What initially started years ago as a distant yet respectful relationship (at least publicly) between the UFC and PFL has slowly turned into a bit of a feud.

Days after PFL: Battle of the Giants took place, Dana White was asked about recent claims made by Donn Davis that PFL was beating UFC in some statistical categories. Unsurprisingly, White did not agree. What was a surprise was that he came prepared with a printout and rattled off statistical comparisons between Power Slap and PFL.

“First of all, the PFL should keep the UFC out of their mouth,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Thursday. “They can’t even deal with Power Slap. Power Slap destroys PFL. It’s weird that you ask those questions because I just happen to have some papers here.”

After listing off stats of social media posts and views, White took exception with Davis’ interview Wednesday with MMA Fighting, during which the PFL CEO claimed he does not watch MMA outside of his own brand.

“I can keep going on for a f*cking month here,” White said. “Then, if you want to get into what he said about the UFC, I have a laundry list here. But let me just start with this: UFC Vegas 84 at the Apex beat them. So listen, I understand and I love the stuff that he said. He sounds like Kamala (Harris). He talks a lot but says nothing. I would hate to be one of that guys’ investors. ‘I don’t watch MMA. I’ve worked seven years and have never taken a vacation.’ You should probably take a vacation. You’re out of your f*cking mind, dude. You should probably take a vacation.

“I have a list here. I will have Lenee (Breckenridge) get you guys this list of all these numbers. But that guy shouldn’t even mention the UFC. He’s not even in Power Slap’s (realm). Then today he was talking about how ‘there’s all kinds of combination packages and stuff how this works.’ He doesn’t beat Power Slap in revenue. He doesn’t beat Power Slap in ticket sales. He doesn’t beat Power Slap in sponsorship. He doesn’t beat Power Slap in anything, let alone the UFC.”

Prior to PFL’s acquisition of Bellator in late 2023, the promotion was not frequently mentioned by White in interviews. However, now that the landscape has changed, White has been asked about PFL with increased frequency. He initially spoke with respect when talking about PFL, Davis, and the rest of the ownership group.

Over time, however, the jockeying for credit in the public arena has increased. PFL and Davis have attempted to paint themselves in the same light as the UFC in a more aggressive manner than former Bellator president Scott Coker did during his tenure as the UFC’s biggest competitor.

In response, White’s putdowns have also picked up. On a nearly weekly basis during Dana White’s Contender Series, White would be asked about PFL – and gladly embrace the opportunity to talk down on the brand.

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez has acknowledged he has had a “terrible season” and is desperate to gift his Mexican home fans a big result this weekend.

Perez started the season in strong enough shape to earn a new two-year deal at Red Bull, but like last year his form tailed off dramatically from May onwards. Red Bull was forced to reconsider its options over the summer as it saw its constructors’ championship lead slip away, with just one reliable podium finisher in Max Verstappen to count on, but kept the faith in the Mexican for the time being.

Perez was more much affected than Verstappen by some of the handling issues introduced to the 2024 RB20 car, and hasn’t been on the podium since April.

But Red Bull has managed to find a much more benign car balance over the past few races, allowing Verstappen to take a sprint race win last week in Austin. Ahead of his home race in Mexico City, Perez is desperate to use Red Bull’s improved car to build some momentum as he hopes to replicate the scene of 2021 when his infant son joined him on the podium.

“I know I’ve had a terrible season,” he said. “It started really well, but it’s been really, really difficult. If I had a strong result, it can definitely change my season massively in terms of personal feeling, so I’m really up for it.

“Having my son up there with me on the podium watching me, I think that moment will stay with me forever. It’s something that I hope he remembers forever. Those moments, I think it’s the ones that really matter to me. And I hope I can repeat that one this weekend.”

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Advertisement

Perez suggested his car was down on specification and performance in Austin compared to Verstappen’s, and said Red Bull would need both cars to be on point if it is to have any chance to beat McLaren in the standings, even if a lot of the squad’s constructors’ championship headaches stem from having just Verstappen race up front for months.

“I think the numbers and facts will remain internal with the engineers, we know what the delta [difference] was,” the 34-year-old said. “Having Ferrari there doesn’t change anything. I think we want to win the constructors’ title, finishing second or third in the end makes no difference.

“So, we really want to win it. For that, we need to have both cars with the best possible performance and best possible package as well.”

Perez faces a new threat to his 2025 seat in the shape of the emerging Liam Lawson, who made a huge impression on Red Bull’s management on his first race weekend back in Austin. Replacing Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the final six races of 2024, the 22-year-old New Zealander climbed from 19th to ninth at the US Grand Prix, overcoming a grid penalty to score valuable points.

“I think this is Formula 1. Sometimes the results are not coming, and you just have to make sure you keep your head down, you focus on the stuff that you can control and the rest is something that you cannot get bothered with,” Perez insisted, dismissing enduring speculation over his future.

“I feel that I’m in the same boat as the team. We found a big issue in Monza, and after Monza we’re heading the right direction.”

Dana White nearly cut Francis Ngannou from the UFC years before he left of his own volition.

Earlier this month, Ngannou made his long-awaited return to MMA, knocking out Renan Ferreira in the first round of their heavyweight matchup at PFL: Battle of the Giants. The fight was Ngannou’s first since leaving the UFC as heavyweight champion in 2023 and re-ignited a simmering feud between the 38-year-old fighter and his former boss.

The basis of the dispute between White and Ngannou is part of the reason why “The Predator” chose not to re-sign with the UFC based on the terms that were offered. During a Power Slap press conference on Thursday, White doubled down on his declaration that Ngannou could have made more money staying in the UFC, but this time added a new wrinkle: He actually wanted to cut Ngannou from the promotion in 2018.

“Francis is all about the money,” White said. “Francis left because he knew that if he fought Jon Jones and didn’t win, it would hurt his chances of making the money that he wanted to make. But realistically, his deal was bigger here. His deal was bigger here if he stayed in the UFC. … They can deny it all they want, why the f*ck would I lie? Why do I care? It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.

“I was going to cut Francis when he lost two in a row. I was going to cut him. Somebody around here begged me not to do it. So it wouldn’t have mattered to me, one way or the other. There’s a much deeper story to this whole thing and he would have made more money if he stayed in the UFC.”

Ngannou dropped back-to-back fights in 2018, falling to Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in their first encounter and then losing a decision to Derrick Lewis six months later in a fight widely considered to be one of the worst in modern UFC history.

Of course after those losses, Ngannou went on his current run, stringing together four first-round knockouts to earn a second crack at Miocic. He won the rematch via second-round knockout to claim the UFC heavyweight title.

Ngannou then defended his title against Ciryl Gane and while many fans hoped he would return to the promotion for a showdown against Jon Jones, he opted to sign with the PFL in free agency.

For White, that was the end of his focus on Ngannou.

“He didn’t want to fight Jon Jones, that’s a fact, and we’re moving on,” White said. “Obviously, everybody loves Tom Aspinall and wants to see Jones and Aspinall, or Stipe and Aspinall. I feel like when Stipe and Jon were young — Jon was 23, youngest champion in UFC history — somebody gave him an opportunity. I think that Stipe and Jon, whoever wins should give Aspinall the same opportunity they had.”

Jones and Miocic are set to fight for the heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309 next month. With interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall waiting for his shot at the undisputed title, the bout has faced criticism, particularly with both Miocic and Jones potentially teasing retirement afterward.

But for White, he believes that’s just posturing and fans will ultimately get the fight they want for Aspinall.

“I think both Jon and Stipe will say they’re going to retire because they’re going to start negotiating,” White said. “And what the negotiation is, we will get the deal done.”

UFC 309 takes place on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Alex Albon will ‘lean towards’ using Franco Colapinto‘s set-up at the Mexico City Grand Prix as he looks for a more harmonious balance with his upgraded Williams Formula 1 car.

Williams introduced a comprehensive series of upgrades for the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, which Albon used to good effect at the Monza and Baku races, where he scored points in both.

The Anglo-Thai driver has been more closely matched since Colapinto was promoted to the line-up in place of Logan Sargeant, and Albon suggested that his own side of the garage had perhaps struggled to get its head around the new upgrade package in comparison to Colapinto’s engineers.

Albon will move towards Colapinto’s set-up for this weekend to determine if it alleviates his issues, particularly in lower-speed corners.

“We definitely have a different car balance with the new upgrades that we brought onto the car. We’re still yet to really fully understand them. 

“We can see it in the data, we can see where we’re just trying to get to grips with what’s going on. 

“This will be the first weekend where I’m just kind of leaning a little bit more towards what the other side of the garage has been doing and just trying to see if that will help fix some of the issues that I’ve been having. 

Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

“I think actually around Mexico it’s going to be really important for us to try to get right because, on paper, the areas I’ve been struggling with are very corner-specific, and they’re corners that Mexico has a lot of, these kind of low-speed corners.”

Asked if the brake locking issue he had struggled with was a new issue with the upgrades, Albon explained that it had “become more apparent. So that’s kind of close to the area I’ve been working on.”

He added that it was “nice” to have a stronger team-mate in the second car to help fill in any performance shortfalls, and offered a reference point for set-ups for the team to compare.

Albon noted that Colapinto’s ability to score in Austin with 10th place “elevates everyone”, and felt the challenge provided by the Argentine was not a new experience.

“It’s nice. We’ve had the simulator working over the weekend – just trying to, over the last few days, have a look at the differences. 

“But it elevates me, it elevates everyone in the team. When I have a bad weekend, we’re still scoring points, so that’s very positive.

“No [it’s not a new experience], I think if you go back a few more years, you can [see I’ve had pressure]. At Williams, sure, but it’s how it’s always been. It’s how you race. It’s how you race since you’re nine years old. So, it’s alright.”

This latest rescue act may be the most important knock in Smith’s short career. It is all the more impressive given the last match, England’s defeat in the second Test in Multan, was his worst with the Three Lions on his chest.

A struggle with the bat – he made 21 and six – was in step with the rest of the England team, but the drop of a simple chance off Brydon Carse on the third afternoon was perhaps their last hope of getting into the game.

Smith probably won’t drop an easier one in his time as a Test cricketer, the miss made worse by Joe Root putting down another catch in the same over. Ben Stokes let out his frustration on the field, a rarity for the England skipper, who later apologised to the team in the dressing room.

“You move on to another game,” said Smith. “I didn’t score the runs I would have liked and dropped a catch which could have proven crucial, but those things happen in sport.

“There will definitely be times where that will happen again, but it’s dusting yourself off and coming again to the next game with a smile on your face, looking to enjoy playing and trying to influence results.”

Short of catching bullets in his teeth, there is very little Smith can do to persuade those who believe Ben Foakes should still be in the England team as the best pure gloveman in the country.

As the second-choice keeper to Foakes at Surrey, Smith will be all too aware of the difference in their respective abilities.

Smith is hardly a stopper to whom England have attached a pair of gloves. He has come through the ranks as a keeper. Most importantly, he was chosen for innings like Rawalpindi, the kind of knock Foakes is not suited to play.

England found themselves in a similar situation against India in Ranchi earlier this year, in need of runs, with their wicketkeeper only afforded the lower-order for company. India dropped the field and Foakes was powerless to penetrate it.

In contrast, Smith was able to move through the gears against Pakistan. He was beaten in England’s six-hitting competition in Wednesday’s training session, even though he landed the biggest blow of anyone in the squad. On Thursday there was no doubt over the identity of the maximum man, as Smith plonked half a dozen over the rope.

“It was more luck than judgement, because on another day some of them are out,” he said. “That’s how I like to play my cricket, I’ll take it on regardless of the field. If I feel that’s the best option, I’ll be taking it.”