When Dana White hinted at an intriguing approach for Bellator and PFL to sign fighters

UFC CEO Dana White once advised competitor fighting promotions like Bellator and the PFL on how to recruit fighters for their organizations.

In September 2021, the 54-year-old made an appearance at the Dana White's Contender Series post-fight press conference. During his time, White spoke about the fighters that appeared on the show.

The UFC CEO suggested that the PFL and Bellator should consider hiring those athletes who were not offered a contract by the multi-billion dollar promotion. White said:

"If you're another promoter, Bellator, PFL, whatever and you're not watching the show, you're out of your mind. This is the show you should be watching and the guys that we don't necessarily take... [are] somebody that you should seriously look at taking."

Check out Dana White's comments from the 3:10 mark below:

It was recently announced that the PFL had acquired Bellator in a new deal. This led to many MMA fans wondering about the future of the fighters in the two promotions.

PFL founder Donn Davis recently made an appearance on Ariel Helwani's 'The MMA Hour'. During the interview, Davis shared that all Bellator fighters will become a part of the PFL and be given a choice whether to compete in the tournament format or at one-off events.

"Whether you're a Bellator fighter or PFL fighter, you're all now PFL fighters. You're all in the pool...We'll talk to managers and fighters and say, 'What's the best product for you? And what's the best product for fans?' They'll either fight twice a year...Or you'll fight in the PFL league season, your choice."

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What did Dana White say about the idea of a cross-promotion event with the PFL?

UFC CEO Dana White is not in favor of the idea of doing a cross-promotion event with the PFL.

During his appearance at the UFC 295 post-fight press conference, White was asked by a reporter about the possibility of joining hands with the PFL to make the Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou fight.

White shut down the idea and criticized the reporter for asking a 'dumb question'.

"No, I'm not interested in that," White said. "We tried to make that fight, they didn't want to do it, and it's done... I'm not interested. We've got one, two, and three [top-selling pay-per-views in the MSG], they [The PFL] can't sell a f*****g gate... It's a stupid question. Why should I do that? I tried to make the fight here; they didn't want to do it, but I should co-promote?... You win the dumb question of the night. Congratulations, sir."