UFC President Dana White has always been a controversial figure in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, but his recent ventures into boxing, including trading verbal barbs with Eddie Hearn about a potential fight, and his pet project of Power Slap have left some fight fans wondering if White’s heart is still the UFC as much as it used to be. 

It’s not just fans who think that either as former UFC welterweight contender Darren Till feels the same way, stating on “The Ariel Helwani Show” that White’s ego might have gotten a little too big, and that he doesn’t care about the UFC as much as the fans do. “I don’t want to slag Dana on here because I do like Dana but I just think Dana’s ego is getting a little bit too much out of control,” Till said. “I think he’s totally switched off from the UFC. I’m not–I don’t even watch the UFC no more, I don’t. I couldn’t tell you half the people who fight on it, the events just aren’t juicy no more, I think they’ve got very few stars left.”

The main gripe that Till has isn’t just with White’s attitude, it’s with the media who he thinks don’t say what everyone thinks they should say to White. “I’m p***** off to be honest with the media side of things. Like every time Dana is in a scrum, it’s like these reporters are scared to say the real thing, and it’s like when they do ask questions, Dana’s all sort of like ‘who gives a s***?’ We give a s***, I give a s***, so give us a f****** answer baldy, and get your ego, like take your ego away.”

Till explained that the UFC just isn’t the same as what it used to be when he was challenging for titles in the 2010s, the use of AI in advertising is making it worse, and rounded off by calling White a “fat terrapin” who might need to step aside before it’s too late.

Please credit “The Ariel Helwani Show” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Although GUNTHER could be lined up to be the next World Heavyweight Champion, it would be wiser to strike while the iron is hot and have Oba Femi dethrone Reigns first.

After defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, Femi is one of the hottest performers in professional wrestling and has quickly become WWE’s most promising young star. When Lesnar first broke into the wrestling business, he became world champion just eight months after making his WWE debut at 25 years of age, becoming the youngest star to win the title in history at the time. Although WWE has often waited to crown rising stars, such as Bron Breakker or Jacob Fatu, who have been on the main roster for two years but have received little to no world title opportunities, Femi would instantly be launched into superstardom if he were to defeat one of the company’s most dominant performers to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Overall, WWE could elect to wait until WrestleMania 43 to pull the trigger on Femi in order not to fast-track his trajectory, but doing so also means the company would need to have a year’s worth of creative plans for “The Ruler” and keep his popularity from cooling off. SummerSlam could be a potential destination for Femi to become champion, as it would give Reigns three months with the title and allow WWE to properly capitalize on the 28-year-old’s momentum at their second biggest show of the year.

While of course things need to be sorted out logistically within the next two months, this is one event WWE probably just should have called early and written the “IOU” to the Saudi government, though that’s all easier said than done. The blow would certainly have been softened by the fact that likely nothing will stop WrestleMania 43 from going forward in the country.

Prior to today, WWE hadn’t even announced a location for Night of Champions 2026, and the event hasn’t always been held in Saudi Arabia. You might not have even known that it was scheduled for Riyadh again this year if you didn’t read about it online. WWE could have quietly moved the event to another city in the United States or Canada, and not have made a big deal about it at all. If the company “owed” the Saudi government another event, one could be tacked on next year, if it’s safe to do so at that point, or (and I’m 100% just assuming here) something else could be negotiated to be added around WrestleMania weekend. Or maybe the Saudis wouldn’t even care since they’re getting WrestleMania.

In our opinion, the situation in the Middle East is still too tense for travel, and it all boils down to talent safety. US fans don’t have to travel to the country and Saudi fans wouldn’t have to go to the event, but WWE talent and other employees have to go put on the event no matter what. Top stars have been able to opt out of going to the country before, but not everyone who works with the company has the ability to do that. If there’s any question at all about keeping WWE talent and employees safe in Saudi Arabia, the company shouldn’t run an event there.

After a two-year stint with AEW and working on several projects outside of wrestling such as Twitch streaming and podcasting, two-time Divas Champion Paige returned to WWE this past weekend at WrestleMania 42. After Nikki Bella was unable to compete alongside her sister Brie Bella for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles because of an ankle injury, Paige was revealed as her replacement and made sure they walked out with the gold. However, Paige’s journey coming back to WWE hasn’t been easy, as she’s dealt with her fair share of injuries and reportedly needed to be medically cleared and pass a drug test before stepping back into the ring.

In a recent post on Instagram, Paige shared a video which captures the moment she found out she was cleared. The 33-year-old details the challenges she’s faced in her pursuit of returning to WWE and explains that she thought the company wouldn’t allow her to wrestle again.

“The day I found out I was cleared to come home to @wwe. What an emotional journey. Thank you @gilbertboyas for being there and capturing this moment! It was a long road but man it was worth it!! Thank you everyone for the love since I returned, it means the absolute world to me. This is my house.”

In addition to returning to WWE last Saturday, it was announced that the film that covers Paige’s life story, “Fighting With My Family,” will become a musical in 2027. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Stephen Merchant, who both worked on the movie, will also be producers of the musical.