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Last week, Triller co-founder Ryan Kavanaugh took to social media to verbally blast UFC President Dana White over his refusal to allow a boxing match between six division champion Oscar De La Hoya and MMA veteran Georges St-Pierre.
De La Hoya, 48-years-old and retired since 2008, was planning to return to the ring in July – with Triller Fight Club financially backing the pay-per-view event.
De La Hoya’s ring return has since been moved back to the month of September.
Kavanaugh explained that he tried calling White several times and all of his approaches were ignored.
St-Pierre retired from MMA in 2017 – but his UFC promotional agreement remained frozen.
In order to compete for a company outside of the UFC, St-Pierre would have to obtain permission from White, who refused to give him the green light to move forward with De La Hoya.
“I understand that Dana didn’t want me to fight. However, it would have been fun. Because my career as a professional fighter, to become the best in the world in mixed martial arts, is done. I’m turning 40-years-old tomorrow; I’m going to be 40-years-old. It’s a young man’s game,” St-Pierre told Cinema Blend.
“However, to rather fight a boxing match under the rules that Triller put on against the legendary Oscar De La Hoya? For me, it would have been a dream come true, because he is my second favorite boxer of all time, behind Sugar Ray Leonard. Plus, a lot of the money made would have been given to charity. So it would have been for a good cause, just to show that we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
“And it would have been serious competition because you say, I play basketball, I play hockey, but you don’t ‘play’ fighting. It would have been fun.”