"I was not happy about that" - When Dana White was publicly "p*ssed off" at a veteran UFC fighter for faking retirement during live event

Dana White once publicly criticized a veteran UFC fighter after the latter faked retirement during a live event. White notably expounded upon why it was a rather undesirable act by the fighter.

The incident in question transpired at the UFC Kansas City event at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A., on April 15, 2023. The preliminary card witnessed Bill Algeo secure a submission victory against T.J. Brown. During his post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, Algeo feigned a retirement announcement.

The featherweight then jestingly stated he'd "never retire in a dump like Kansas City." Apparently, Algeo was a Philadelphia Eagles fan and jibed at the Kansas crowd after the Eagles' Super Bowl defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Following Algeo's retirement prank, veteran UFC fighter Clay Guida did something similar. However, in Guida's case, he'd suffered a unanimous decision defeat in his lightweight bout against Rafa Garcia. Generally, such fights see the winner get interviewed and the loser leave the octagon.

Regardless, Guida took his gloves off, leading some to believe that he might lay them down, announcing his retirement. Laying one's gloves down is considered a sign of announcing one's retirement. Daniel Cormier proceeded to interview him, which is when he revealed that he'd tricked everyone. Guida stated:

"'DC,' I tricked you guys. There ain't no way I'm walking away yet. I want to congratulate this young man, Rafa Garcia. And I want to ask Rafa Garcia to trade gloves with me, man, because that was a he*k of a performance, man."

Watch Clay Guida's interview below:

Clay Guida appeared to utilize his time on the microphone to send birthday wishes to "Mama Guida" and another individual as well. During the UFC Kansas City post-fight press conference, UFC head honcho Dana White disapproved of Guida faking his retirement. Citing the live broadcast aspect, White said:

"It p*ssed me off, actually, to be honest with you. Yeah, no, that p*ssed me off. You know, I like him [Guida]. He's a nice guy. But you're faking your retirement so that you say f**king happy birthday to somebody? Yeah. We're running a live event here. You know what I mean? It's just -- yeah, no, I was not happy about that. Yeah."

Upon being questioned whether he felt Guida did it to get air-time, White seemingly agreed. He reaffirmed that Guida shouldn't have done so simply to send birthday wishes to someone:

"That was not good."

Check out Dana White's comments below (10:59):

---

Dana White's retirement advice for Clay Guida, 'The Carpenter's' reported UFC release

Clay Guida (38-25 MMA, 18-19 UFC) last suffered a submission defeat against Chase Hooper at UFC 310 in December 2024. Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his iconic 2009 fight against Diego Sanchez, Guida is currently on a three-fight losing streak.

UFC Roster Watch recently tweeted that Guida has been released from the UFC, ending his UFC stint that started in 2006. The 43-year-old's next move is presently unclear.

Clay Guida was one of three veteran fighters, including Chris Weidman and Anthony Smith, who suffered one-sided defeats at UFC 310. During the UFC 310 post-fight press conference, Dana White advised them to retire. The UFC CEO and president asserted:

"They all retire tonight. They should all retire tonight."

Watch Dana White's assessment below: