Dana White Rips Adama Diop's Win as 'Horrible,' Signs Him Anyway
Adama Diop became the first Senegalese UFC fighter after a performance Dana White called one of the worst he's ever seen.
Dana White has never been shy about telling fighters exactly what he thinks, but Tuesday night's assessment of Adama Diop might be a new benchmark. The Senegalese heavyweight stopped Zaurbek Sabanov by TKO at 2:13 of the second round at the Contender Series, overcoming 4-to-1 underdog odds to earn a UFC contract, per LowKick MMA.
White's congratulations came wrapped in a verbal beatdown. "Your fight was horrible, sloppy, and one of the worst fights I have ever seen" on the Contender Series, White told Diop. He added that Diop's standup was "horrible" and the bout was "atrocious," warning the 31-year-old that UFC heavyweights would knock him out if he fought like that again.
"Don't make me regret this," White said as he handed over the contract.
White cited Diop's age, the chaos inherent to heavyweight fights, and the fact that he came through as a massive underdog as his reasons for awarding the deal. Diop improved to 7-1 with the win and became the first fighter from Senegal to sign with the UFC, per LowKick MMA. Compatriot Demba Seck had previously appeared on the Contender Series without securing a deal.
Sabanov, who entered at -590, suffered his first professional loss.
This is peak Dana. Absolutely eviscerating a guy's performance and then signing him in the same breath. You could see Diop standing there trying to figure out if he should smile or apologize.
Here's the thing though: Dana's not wrong. That fight was ugly. But heavyweight is the one division where "ugly but dangerous" is a viable career path. Diop came in as a 4-to-1 dog and finished a guy who'd never been beaten. That counts for something.
The first Senegalese fighter in the UFC is a cool milestone. Now the hard part starts. If he shows up to his debut looking like that, some ranked heavyweight is going to put him to sleep in the first round. Take the contract, get in the best gym you can find, and come back looking like a different fighter.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
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