“You’ll never hear me say anything bad about Spike or about the guys over there. They’re getting into this business, and they’re going to be competitors and everything else. But without Spike, I wouldn’t be sitting on this stage right now and having this conversation. We’re going to battle now, I guess, and I look forward to it. I’m up for the challenge. I’m doing my thing. You won’t hear me saying anything about them. I’m not saying anything bad about Spike. The guys at Spike didn’t make this decision. One of the geniuses further up let the biggest sports franchise in the last 50 years go. And now they’re bitter at me about it? I didn’t make that decision. They did.

UFC president Dana White talked to the media today following the UFC on Fox 1 pre-fight press conference.

Fielding numerous questions, this quote is specifically about the relationship between the UFC and their longtime broadcasting partner Spike TV.

After an inability to come to terms on a new broadcasting agreement, the UFC went out on the hunt to find a new partner. As everyone should know at this point, that new partner came in the form of America’s number 1 television station, FOX TV.

With less than two months left on the Spike deal, the UFC is getting ready for their first event on FOX TV to air this weekend. As such, the guys at Spike have taken the offensive role and rolled out counter programming and gone as far as trying to secure a broadcasting deal with UFC competitor, Bellator Fighting Championship.

White says the two organizations will now go to “battle” for ratings supremacy, but at the end of the day, the UFC has nothing to worry about and that is reflected in White’s handling of the situation.

(props to mmajunkie.com for the transcription)

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