UFC President Dana White recently appeared on the Jim Rome Show to discuss the launch of UFC BJJ.
Speaking with Rome, White revealed that this project has been three years in the making and stems from his deep personal connection to the martial art.
“Me and the Fertitas ended up buying the UFC because of Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” White explained. “We got into it, started to meet some of the martial artists, and then we became so obsessed with it that, you know, it ended up leading us to buy the UFC.”
This is quite a departure from the comments White made about being bored watching BJJ competitions some years back.
White outlined his vision for bringing organization to what he sees as a fragmented competitive landscape.
“Basically what we’re doing is we’re building some structure inside the sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu,” he said. “Now, millions of people around the world compete in jiu-jitsu now. And there’s big tournaments out there where people, you know, win big money and we’re going to put a structure to it.”
The new system will mirror the UFC’s approach to mixed martial arts rankings.
“When you come to the UFC, you will, you know, in your weight class, you will be ranked in the top 10, top 15, and then there will be a world champion in each weight class,” White detailed.
The competition follows the proven “Road to the Title” format that has been successful for both UFC and White‘s Power Slap promotion.
“It’s, you know, like the ultimate martial artist and road to the title that we did with Power Slap, there’s one thing that I know. This format, the best always rise to the top, no matter what,” White said. “I mean, if you look at how many, how many world champions and superstars we’ve built off this, this style of competition, it’s sort of the blueprint for us.”
The format allows viewers to learn about the competitors and the sport before the main event.
When asked about his initial attraction to Brazilian jiu-jitsu as someone with a boxing background, White described the transformative experience many martial artists encounter.
“Every man who thinks he can fight or, you know, has some level of confidence with handling himself, the first time that you take a Brazilian jiu-jitsu, uh, you know, lesson with, with a black belt, it is the most eye-opening experience of all time,” he said. “And, uh, then as you start, you start with, you know, start to get into it i… It is a fascinating sport.”
This expansion into Brazilian jiu-jitsu represents another diversification for White‘s combat sports empire, which now includes mixed martial arts, boxing, Power Slap, Bull riding and Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition.
