Dana White reveals mixed feelings amid crossfire between Chimaev and Strickland: 'I was surprised'

Dana White looking serious during an interview. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube

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Dana White experienced an intense moment when he found himself at the center of the tension between Khamzat Shimaev e Sean Strickland. The two face each other in the main fight of the UFC 328, scheduled for next Saturday (9), and have already raised the level of rivalry during the press conference held last Thursday (7). The meeting was marked by insults, provocations and even one kick The wolf's unexpected move caught the organization's president by surprise.

In an interview with 'UFC on Paramount+', Dana highlighted that she hadn't participated in such a chaotic press conference in a long time, describing the experience as a mix of emotions—exciting, curious, fun, and also tense.

“I haven’t had a press conference like this in a long time. It’s always exciting, interesting, funny, and not-so-funny. When you have guys who don’t really like themselves, like these two do, like when they were walking towards each other for the face-off,” said Dana White.

The manager also explained that he believed the situation was under control, as security guards were trying to restrain the athletes the entire time. However, he was surprised by Chimaev's kick, which he didn't notice in time.

“I was fine, I felt we had everything under control, and as you can see, I was holding my arms the whole time, and he (Chimaev) surprised me with the kick. I didn't see the kick coming and it caught me off guard. I hate when I forget that,” concluded the UFC president.