Under a dictatorship
The saddest thing about all this is there are no surprises here. Let me start by saying that I am a massive UFC fan and have been extolling the virtues of the UFC for more than a decade, since UFC 35 or thereabouts. I am a UFC fan before I am an MMA fan. I think Zuffa have single handedly created the behemoth that the UFC now is & it has been a truly remarkable meteoric rise. They will deserve their multi billions when they eventually sell. Now to the nitty gritty. Zuffa have achieved this by being control freaks, who spitefully go after anyone they think is not going to lick their spittle, do what they are told or gratefully accept their word as law. They have also tried to dominate and control every cent involved around the organisation and feel robbed when anyone has made a dime off their back. I could make this a novel and list just the things I can remember off the top of my head. Just to clarify, think back to the days when they were obviously pissed off at the deals guys had in place with t shirts, long before Reebok, as a case in point.
Worse than all of that and what is sinister about them is, they hold grudges, forever. As with all dictatorships, being drunk on your own power is unavoidable. When you re the King of the Universe and everyone is your subject, how is it possible not to get drunk on that? If you couple that with the ruthless nature of the characters involved, it is easy to see how we are quickly dealing with a belligerent, nasty abusive drunk. Ask anyone who has fallen foul of them. The difference here is they do not sober up and there is no remorse on their part, they just keep drinking. There are obvious parallels with Mob behavior and attitudes towards rivals/adversaries and as ever, there is a hint of paranoia attached, on their part. Dana is obviously the Frettiita Bros attack dog and I'm fairly certain he does what he is told. Consistent with his share issue, he has about a 10% say in my opinion. I am not saying they are Mob, I'm just using the analogy of the mindset and behavior.
Ariel I believe has been victimized for two reasons and neither have anything to do with his ethnicity, i hope.
1. His employers make money from the UFC & that pisses them off no end
2. He refuses to lick their spit .
It is that simple I believe. There is more than a hint of malice in how they react towards perceived transgressors. Greg Jackson & hence all of his fighters, Couture, Diaz, Helwani, Kennedy etc etc etc. Sad to say it might be a good day when they have sold up & go spend their billions elsewhere & let the fans enjoy what they have built without dealing with the actions drunk Mafioso types