Previous to the NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, UFC president Dana White shared a special message for fans at home.
The NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Las Vegas, Nevada this afternoon for the South Point 400. White had the honor of being the race’s Grand Marshall today as he took part in the pre-race ceremonies. Prior to the start of the event, White made a self-shot video where he shared his excitement for the upcoming race.
He encouraged those that have never been to a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to visit soon. White also explained what a Grand Marshall’s duties are in the simplest of terms. The UFC boss amusingly broke it down into four famous words that are spoken before each event by a special guest: “Gentlemen, start your engines!”
“I’m UFC president Dana White and I’m here at the speedway today. I am the Grand Marshall,” he said in the clip posted to NASCAR’s Twitter account. “And if you don’t know what that is, it’s ‘Gentlemen, start your engines!’ So, very cool. If you’ve never been out here, you need to come out here and check this place out and see a race. It is badass.”
Numerous famous celebrities and athletes have acted as Grand Marshall at racing events over the years. Dana White joins the likes of actor Matthew McConaughey, late-night host Jay Leno, and Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith as previous Grand Marshalls at NASCAR races.
Dana White Breaks Silence on YouTuber Turned Boxer Jake Paul’s Threats
While Dana White seemed to enjoy himself today in Las Vegas at the race, he’s had to deal with some not-so amusing trash talk in recent history. YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul continues to call out UFC fighters who work under White. Paul has won two boxing matches this year against UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
That’s led to Paul calling out Dana White for various reasons, including not paying his MMA fighters enough money. During a press conference last month, Paul said their ongoing feud would lead to him “knocking [White] the f–k out.” The UFC president responded to the threat from the 24-year-old while making fun of Paul’s opponents who are typically much older than him.
“It actually makes sense,” Dana White said. “I’m 52 years old. I’m in the age bracket of guys he fights, so yeah, I could see him wanting to fight me. It’s all he fights are 50-year-olds.”
White also added that he understands Paul’s aggression. He says the boxer is far from the first person that has wanted a piece of the UFC boss and acknowledges it comes with the territory of the fight business.
“Let me tell you what,” he continued. “Get in line. There are plenty of people who would like to assault me. Get in line. It’s a long f–king line, buddy. You’re going to be waiting for a while. No, it doesn’t bother me. This is the business we’re in. I say it all the time about the fighters, too. We are not in the nice guy business. This is a very mean business. I say many mean things about people, too. It’s just part of this game. It’s all good.”
