Dana White’s big blunder as he forgets Islam Makhachev’s name promoting UFC 284

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    UFC president Dana White takes a hands-on approach constructing the company's major fights, but lightweight champion Islam Makhachev doesn't appear to be high on his list of priorities.

    The Dagestan destroyer has mauled the vast majority of his mixed martial arts competition and is 12-1 in the UFC (23-1 in MMA) since joining the company in 2015. Makhachev, 31, finally clinched the 155-pound belt in October when he submitted Charles Oliveira, with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski next on the agenda.

    The UFC 284 headliner is scheduled to take place in Perth, Australia, on Saturday (Sunday local time) in what promises to be one of the biggest bouts of the year. Not that one could tell judging by White's nonplussed approach at a recent press conference 'hyping up' the fight, where he forgot Makhachev's name altogether.

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    “It’s beating all the fights of its type and it’s probably going to beat the record for pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand," he told reporters. "The UFC, our record, which was Conor [McGregor] and somebody. But it looks like it’s going to break that record. It’s a monster fight.”

    “When you have the number one and the number two pound-for-pound guys in the world fighting each other in their prime, it’s never happened. So when you talk about legacy? If Volkanovski can pull this off, it’s obviously massive. And if. . .if, umm. . .you know. . .um [looks off stage] yeah [laughs] can pull it off, it’s. . .he’s on his way to building an incredible legacy.”

    Do you think Alexander Volkanoski will beat Islam Makhachev to become dual-UFC champion? Let us know in the comments section.

    Incumbent lightweight king Makhachev isn't likely to take the clip well when he sees his boss struggling to place his name considering he's the second-ranked fighter in the pound-for-pound pecking order. That's particularly poignant considering it was only a few days prior Makhachev complained about the lack of promotion around his maiden title defence.

    “I see that it is not such big promotion,” Makhachev told RSports Russia. “Dana White himself has some problems. He does not pay much attention to this fight. Here in Perth, everyone knows about the fight and is looking forward to it.

    "And in terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done. I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organized around the world. A (news) conference could be held in America.”

    White, 53, has had plenty on his plate after seeing in 2023 including the controversy surrounding footage of him hitting his wife, Anne, at a New Year's party in Mexico, something he apologised for. He's also been attempting to make a success out of the highly controversial Power Slap League, a brutal new 'sport' that's been criticised for its barbaric nature.

    The UFC chief recently confirmed McGregor will make his UFC comeback against Michael Chandler on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. When one fan commented White might now "finally promote [UFC] 284 instead of slap fighting," he replied to the follower: "Don’t count on it."

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