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Thursday
October 8, 2009
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UFC In No Hurry To Enter Into Mainstream, Secure Network Deal

White Thinks UFC Can Do Big Things
On Network TV With Right Deal

UFC President Dana White yesterday appeared in studio on ESPN's "Jim Rome Is Burning," and he said of the promotion's expansion into the mainstream, "We're taking our time." White: "We're not going to make any stupid moves. We haven't in the last nine years. We're not going to start making them now. I think we can do some big things on network TV with the right deal." White noted the UFC has been "close to a network deal for years now," but the "problem is that it's not the right deal." White: "There's been lots of guys who came out trying to compete with me and ran right after network deals because they had to do it. I don't have to get a network deal. I think a network deal would help us. It would take us to another level. But I'm in no hurry." White added the UFC "could be on a major, over-air network right now," but he does not "like any of the deals." Meanwhile, he said the current season of Spike's "The Ultimate Fighter" is "probably one of the best seasons we've ever done," but the first three fights, including the highly-watched bout between Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson, "were terrible." White: "It gets better from here on out. The fights get a lot better. I think people are going to absolutely love the season" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 10/7).

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