White reacts to PFL's acquisition of Bellator: 'Sounds like a f-----g winner'

From all accounts, UFC CEO Dana White isn't threatened by the PFL and Bellator joining forces to become the clear-cut No. 2 MMA promotion in the world.

When asked Saturday night what he thought about the PFL acquiring Bellator in November in a landmark deal for the sport, White seemed to brush it off as a bad move.

"Good for them," White said at the UFC Austin postfight press conference, according to MMA Junkie. "I wish them all the luck in the world."

He added: "One shitty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches buys another shitty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watched. Sounds like a f-----g winner to me, boy. Right? Woo. Go, guys."

White was critical of Bellator throughout the promotion's history, first when it was headed by Bjorn Rebney and then by Scott Coker. Conversely, White has maintained peace with the PFL brass in the past. But he said in November he had no interest in co-promoting a Francis Ngannou versus Jon Jones fight with the PFL.

After finalizing the Bellator deal, PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis said he believed White had become "worried" about the PFL's advances within the industry.

"It's just a matter of time before ... we're not No. 2 - we're a co-leader," Davis said in November. "(White) doesn't want that. That's what's going on."

The PFL plans to operate Bellator as an individual brand in 2024, though it'll mostly involve international events. All Bellator-signed fighters - some considered the best in the world in their respective divisions - are available to fight across the PFL's various platforms.