The optics aren’t great but tell that to the boss of the UFC.
During Rose Namajunas’ co-main event title defence against Carla Esparza at UFC 274, the company’s president Dana White was seen “zoning out” cageside watching Canelo Alvarez’s clash with Dmitry Bivol.
Alavarez’s bid to become WBA light-heavyweight champ was on one of the screens staged around the cage, and started before Namajunas’s fight.
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White was struggling to maintain interest in his own event because of the lack of activity from both fighters.
Fans on social media pointed out that White was flicking between fights and admitted that it was a drab affair but didn’t mention he’d been following the the Alvarez fight.
“It was a weird fight,” he said at the post-fight press conference.
“It seemed like they didn’t want to engage.
“I think there was a total of six punches thrown in the first round.
“So, yeah, that was a tough one – it happens sometimes. I started zoning out like halfway through so I don’t know (who won).”
It’s the not the first time White was caught watching the Mexican star while at one of his own events, with the 52-year-old seen taking in Canelo’s undisputed super-middleweight showdown with Caleb Plant during UFC 268 last November.
Coincidentally that was on the same night of Namajunas’ rematch with Zhang Weili.
Even Canelo shared a photo of White watching his fight on social media with a laughing emoji.
Namajunas’ second reign as strawweight queen came to an end in a bout UFC commentator Joe Rogan branded ”the stinker of all stinkers”.
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