UFC: Dana White elaborates on illegal streamers warning – ‘I look forward to the crying and begging’

UFC president says he’s already ‘caught a lot of people’ since new lawful streaming act in the US

White concedes he can’t shut down the illegal industry but ‘let me catch a few and watch what happens’

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UFC president Dana White talks at a UFC Fight Night weigh-in in Boston in 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 4:30pm, 14 Jan 2021Updated: 4:30pm, 14 Jan 2021

Dana White has revealed more about his plans for illegal streamers ahead of the UFC’s first event of 2021.

The promotion’s president has long been trying to crack down on his pay-per-view events being unlawfully broadcast by streaming websites. Last week he replied to a fan on Instagram saying he had a “surprise” in store and “[couldn’t] wait to catch” those who continued to pirate UFC content – starting with UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor on January 23.

“We’ve been one of the leagues that has been so proactive on piracy. I love how cool and tough these guys act on social media because – let me tell you – we’ve caught a lot of people,” White told The Mac Life.

“Let me tell you what they do: they cry. They cry and beg not to be prosecuted and all this other stuff.”

“We just overcame a huge hurdle in the piracy world and we’re going to catch some of these guys in 2021 and I look forward to the crying and the begging. We’ll see how tough they are when they get caught,” White added.

White was alluding to the US’ Protecting Lawful Streaming Act of 2020, which makes it a felony to large-scale stream copyrighted products approved last month.