MMA fans knew that it would only be a matter of time before UFC President, Dana White, chimed in about the latest Strikeforce show on CBS. With the fights generally producing lackluster action combined with the ensuing brawl between Jason “Mayhem” Miller and the Cesar Gracie camp, White had plenty of ammunition to attack his competitor.

Before the Strikeforce partnership, rumors swirled that CBS actually had a tentative deal to broadcast the UFC; however, network demands, such as adding their own commentator, along with outside pressure from Showtime, prevented a deal from being made. More specifically, White believes that it was Showtime executives that convinced CBS to go with the now defunct Elite XC promotion. Once CBS aligned themselves with Elite XC, the UFC moved on, opening the door for Strikeforce to sign with the network.

“Of course, everyone thinks I’m anti-competition, but I’m not. But everyone knows that they didn’t belong on CBS. Even if you’re the biggest UFC hater out there, you know that. Shame on CBS for this. They knew they should have been with us, but they went out and let those Showtime idiots talk them into going with Elite XC. Now, they’re stuck with a bush league, C-level promotion that will probably be out of business next month. And what you saw on Saturday is the kind of thing that happens when you put a product like that on national television.”

White also focused his attention on, Gus Johnson, the CBS commentator who remarked that “these things happen in MMA” when the scuffle broke out at the end of the broadcast.

“What kind of ridiculous commentary was that? That was an idiotic thing to say. And then he was yelling at them to stop, telling them they are on national television. That was just another example of how bush league they are.”

As the cameras rolled, UFC fighter, Nate Diaz, was shown kicking Miller while he was on the ground. White said that he has since sat down and talked with Diaz about the situation. At this point, White doesn’t think any punishment is warranted.

Although White admits that a promotion can’t always predict what its fighters may do, he believes a company should establish more control over their product, especially on a national level.

“I can’t guarantee that every time you see a UFC pay-per-view it will be the best fight card you’ve ever seen. But what I can say is that for (nearly) 10 years, we’ve consistently delivered great fights and great fight cards. That’s why this sport has grown so much and become as popular as it has. On any given night, you may catch a bad fight. In Anderson (Silva)’s case, it wasn’t a bad night. It was the third time he’s done something like that, which is why I was so angry. I take seriously delivering the kind of product my fans want to see. But what you saw on CBS is an example of what you don’t want to see on national television. No one had control and that’s what happens.”

Part of the problem with Strikeforce, according to White, is their insistence on “gambling” on the outcome of fights. White believes that Strikeforce, on multipile occasions, has tried to bring in people to specifically take out fighters who were unhappy with their current contracts, only to have their plans unravel.

“You never should gamble on fights. They bet on (Melvin) Manhoef, (that he would beat Robbie) Lawler. Lawler was very unhappy and they wanted to get rid of him, but it backfired because he knocked Manhoef out. Then they treated Shields like (expletive), let his contract expire and they put all their money on Dan Henderson. Now, Shields destroys Henderson and look where they’re at. That’s not how you do business.”

(source: Yahoo Sports)