Dana White Analyzes MMA Landscape After UFC 292 In Boston

BOSTON — Dana White led the UFC back to Boston with an event featuring new records at TD Garden for UFC 292.

The UFC president took time to address the landscape of the company after Saturday night’s card, beginning with the new bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, who earned a second-round knockout victory over previously dominant champion Aljamain Sterling.

“You never know, man. Styles make fights,” White said of O’Malley’s win. “(Sterling) got caught and he got stopped.”

“This is the biggest bantamweight title fight on pay-per-view,” White added of O’Malley’s star power. “He’s not gonna be a star. He is a star.”

The co-main event also offered an exciting championship performance with a dominant win for Zhang Weili over Amanda Lemos. Weili set a record for the largest striking differential in a women’s UFC fight, one of the many strong aspects of her impressive title defense.

“You can’t win more dominantly than that, other than a finish,” White said. “She got out of a scary choke. She looked good. Weili is a beast.”

Ian Garry further cemented his rise in the UFC welterweight division with a decision victory over Neil Magny. The 25-year-old won his sixth straight fight and could see a quick turnaround for his next fight.

White told reporters that Stephen Thompson — the veteran fighter who Garry called out after Saturday’s win — turned down a fight against the young welterweight, who could return at Madison Square Garden in November.

In the middleweight division, former UFC champion Chris Weidman suffered a loss after a two-year absence following a gruesome leg break. White was asked what he would suggest Weidman does with his future.

“I think he should retire,” White said. “I would say, ‘Chris, I love you. Please, please retire.'”

The pair of final bouts for “The Ultimate Fighter” came to play, as well, with the “Fight of the Night” going to Brad Katona and Cody Gibson.

With Season 31 of “TUF” coming to a close, White did not have a solid answer as to when the coaches from the show — Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler — would schedule their fight. White mentioned, though, that while nothing is off the table for December, the bout is “probably” headed for 2024.

With eyes toward the future, White noted that cards in Dublin, Ireland, and China could be down the road for the UFC.

With three more championship pay-per-views through the end of November, the UFC continues a pivotal stretch for the company.