Deposition of Dana White - V 3
Deposition of Dana White - V 3
Deposition of Dana White - V 3
Exhibit 33
Deposition of Dana F. White (August 10,
2017) (excerpted)
461
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF NEVADA
HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
9:04 A.M.
REPORTED BY:
MICHELLE R. FERREYRA, CCR No. 876
JOB NO. 51038
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2 generated by a UFC pay-per-view event compared to a UFC
3 non pay-per-view event?
4 MR. ISAACSON: Do you have a time period for
5 this? Are you asking current or all the time?
6 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
7 Q. Do you know generally?
8 A. No.
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2 to control heavyweight division. Do you recall that? 2 MR. ISAACSON: Objection to form.
3 MR. ISAACSON: Objection to form. 3 THE WITNESS: I do. Sure.
4 THE WITNESS: No, I don't remember, but -- 4 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
5 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO: 5 Q. Okay.
6 Q. Okay. Are you familiar with the term "lineal 6 A. For dates and -- you know, for dates and
7 championship -- champion" in boxing? 7 venues. I told you before, on a Saturday night, I've
8 A. What is it? 8 got to get people to stay home and watch fights. And,
9 Q. I'm asking you -- 9 you know, if they're on the same night, their
10 A. No. 10 demographic is a little older than ours, but, you know,
11 Q. -- if you know what it is? Okay. If you 11 we -- we -- we do compete for some things.
12 don't know what it is, that's fine. 12 MR. DELL'ANGELO: 107 or 108?
13 What's the -- the typical UFC license fee for 13 MR. KOFFMAN: I'm sorry?
14 a TV event? 14 MR. DELL'ANGELO: 107 or 108?
15 A. Oh, I have no idea. 15 (Exhibit 109 marked.)
16 Q. Okay. All right. Do you know how -- what 16 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
17 level of revenue a UFC pay-per-view generates versus a 17 Q. Mr. White, I'm handing you what I've marked
18 TV only event? 18 as Exhibit 108. 108 is an MMA Junkie article by John
19 A. I don't know the -- 19 Morgan, dated May 9, 2011.
20 MR. ISAACSON: Objection to form. 20 A. Yep.
21 THE WITNESS: No. I don't know the exact. 21 MR. DELL'ANGELO: Check if the last one was
22 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO: 22 108. Do you know for 108 or 109?
23 Q. Okay. Actually, let -- let me reask the 23 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
24 question. Because I know we'll want it clear. 24 Q. Just take a look at that for a moment.
25 Do -- do you know what -- how the revenue is 25 MR. DELL'ANGELO: Just for the record, I -- I
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2 think I said 108. This should be 109. Thanks. I'll 2 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
3 remark the MMA Junkie article from May 9, 2011 as 109.
4 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
5 Q. All right. Did you get a chance to -- just
6 take look at that Mr. White.
7 A. Read it, no.
8 Q. Okay. Let me just direct your attention on
9 the first page there.
10 A. Uh-huh.
11 Q. If you -- of you look at the beginning here,
12 do you understand that there's a discussion about
13 boxing?
14 A. Yep.
15 Q. Okay. And the third paragraph down, you're
16 quoted as saying, "I think boxing and the UFC can
17 co-exist." Do you see that?
18 A. Yep.
19 Q. Okay. And did you say that in 2011?
20 A. Probably, yeah.
21 Q. All right. Did you believe it to be true at
22 that time?
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. Do you still believe it to be true?
25 A. Yes.
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2 Q. Okay. If you look down two more paragraphs,
3 it says, "Hell no," White said. Do you see that?
4 A. Yeah.
5 Q. And after that, you're quoted as saying, "We
6 don't look at it like we're in competition. People who
7 are real fight fans are fight fans, whether it's MMA or
8 it's boxing," closed quotes. Do you see that?
9 A. Yeah.
10 Q. Okay. And in 2011, was it your view that UFC
11 wasn't in competition with boxing?
12 MR. ISAACSON: Objection to form.
13 THE WITNESS: Yeah, no. We're -- we're not
14 in competition with boxing.
15 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
16 Q. Okay. All right. You can set those aside.
17 A. We compete over certain things, venues and
18 nights, but --
19 Q. But in terms of, you know, as a market,
20 you're -- you're not in competition with boxing?
21 MR. ISAACSON: Objection to form.
22 MR. DELL'ANGELO: I'll withdraw the question.
23 It's fine.
24 (Exhibit 110 marked.)
25 \\
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2 A. The answer's no.
3 Q. Here's Exhibit 115. Exhibit 115 is the
4 Consolidated Financial Statements For The Years Ended
5 December 31, 2011 and 2010.
6 A. Yeah.
7 Q. Bates stamp ZFL-0000031. Have you seen this
8 before, Mr. White?
9 A. No.
10 Q. Any reason to doubt this is a true and
11 correct copy of Zuffa's Consolidated Financial
12 Statements For The Years Ended December 31, 2011 and
13 2010?
14 A. No.
15 Q. Okay. Would you turn to page 4, please.
16 A. (Witness complies.)
17 Q. Are you there?
18 A. Yeah.
19 Q. Okay. All right. And then look at the
20 table -- go up three lines down. It says, "Balance as
21 of December 31, 2009," as we stated. Do you see that?
22 A. Which one are you asking me about?
23 Q. Three lines down. It says, "Balance as of
24 December 31, 2009."
25 A. Yes.
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2 Q. Do you see that? Okay.
3 And just under that it says, "Distributions,"
4 correct?
5 A. Yeah. 5 Q. -- just to be clear. Okay.
6 Q. Okay. And what was the amount of 6 (Exhibit 116 marked.)
7 distributions that were made to you and the other 7 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO:
8 owners of Zuffa for the period ending December 31,
9 2009?
10 A. $305,000.
11 Q. Are you sure that's correct?
12 A. No.
13 Q. Because if you look at --
14 A. It's wrong?
15 Q. It's says -- it's in thousands; right. So
16 wouldn't it be $305 million?
17 A. Oh, awesome. All right.
18 Q. All right. And you weren't -- were you even
19 aware of the size of the distribution to you?
20 A. No.
21 Q. Okay.
22 A. If I cared about the money, I'd be gone with
23 everybody else. I'm still here.
24 Q. You -- you said a number of times, actually,
25 that you don't really care about money; right?
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2 A. A million times.
3 Q. Okay. Then you -- you've recently said after
4 the WME acquisition that you have all the money you
5 need; right?
6 A. Correct.
7 Q. Okay. Do you know how Zuffa managed to make
8 a $305 million distribution in -- in 2010? Did it sell
9 equity?
10 A. Ask Lorenzo.
11 Q. Okay. Do you know if UFC sold equity --
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2 A. No.
3 Q. Any reason to believe that this is not the
4 combined -- a true and correct copy of the Combined
5 Financial Statements at Zuffa For The Years Ended
6 December 31, 2012 and 2013?
7 A. No.
8 Q. Okay. Would you please turn to page 5 of the
9 document.
10 A. (Witness complies.)
11 Q. And if you look at the far left column,
12 "Balance as of December 31, 2011"?
13 A. Yeah.
14 Q. Do you see under that, there's distributions?
15 A. Yeah.
16 Q. And what was the distribution to yourself and
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2 MR. DELL'ANGELO: Exhibit 118?
3 MR. KOFFMAN: Yeah.
4 (Exhibit 118 marked.)
5 BY MR. DELL'ANGELO: