‘Do you wanna be a fighter? – Dana White delivered knockout speech as he told future UFC champions to leave in fiery rant 

Dana White delivered a knockout speech in 2005 that remains iconic to this day.

With just days until Christmas, talkSPORT is looking at one thrilling knockout every day, whether that be verbal or physical.

UFC

UFC

Up first is White’s emphatic knockout speech 19 years ago when he told future UFC champions to LEAVE in a fiery rant.

‘Do you wanna be a fighter? That is the question,’ is one of the most famous lines from his speech during The Ultimate Fighter season one.

MMA pioneers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture coached one team each in the inaugural season of White’s reality TV show.

TUF season one premiered on January 17, 2005, and witnessed 16 MMA fighters – from light heavyweights to middleweights – participate for a UFC contract.

All fighters resided together and competed in separate bouts that they were coached for by UFC legends Liddell and Couture.

“Lorenzo [Fertitta] calls me up and says: ‘What’s going on? I’m here in at The Ultimate Fighter gym and these guys are saying they’re not going to fight.’ I was like – what?!” White said in a look back to the iconic moment seven years ago.

In the first season of TUF, there was originally confusion among fighters, who although knew they would be in physical battles, didn’t think they were doing it for free.

At the time, White’s UFC was going through a tough period under extreme pressure with a tight budget to try and make the never-before-seen fighting league work.

So after he caught wind wind of the fighters he had handpicked not wanting to actually fight, White embarked on one of the greatest speeches ever delivered on a reality TV show.

“I’m not happy right now,” White said at the beginning of his speech.

Getty Images – Getty

GETTY

“I have the feeling that some guys here don’t want to fight. I don’t know if that’s true or not true or whatever, but I don’t know what the f*** everybody thought they were coming here for. Does anybody here not want to fight?

“Speak up. Anybody who came here thinking they weren’t gonna fight, speak up. Let me hear it.

“Let me explain something to everybody. This is a very, and when I say very, I can’t explain to you what a unique opportunity this is.

“You have nothing to f***ing worry about every day, except coming in and getting better at what supposedly you want to do for a living.

“Big deal, the guy that’s sleeping next to you f***ing stinks. He’s drunk all night, making noise, and you can’t sleep. You got f*** roommates. We picked who we believe are the best guys in this country right now.

“We did, and you guys are it. F***ing act like it, man. Do you want to be a fighter? That’s the question.”

Getty Images – Getty

Although only one of the contestants on the first series of The Ultimate Fighter would go on to be a UFC champion, plenty of them contested for gold.

Nate Quarry, who was Couture’s first pick, wound up fighting for the middleweight belt but lost to Rich Franklin at UFC 56 in November 2005.

Josh Koscheck was in the same position but lost his only shot at UFC gold to MMA icon Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124 in 2010.

And the same also applied to Diego Sanchez, who was beaten by another UFC legend in BJ Penn in his first and last shot at the lightweight title in 2009 at UFC 107.

Kenny Florian was the standout of the four who ‘almost’ reached UFC gold as he challenged for titles on three occasions.

In 2006, ‘KenFlo’ lost a lightweight title bout to Sean Sherk, before suffering another defeat for the same belt against Penn three years later.

After moving down to the featherweight division, Florian then lost out to Jose Aldo via unanimous decision at UFC 136 in what was his last-ever UFC bout.

Forrest Griffin was the sole contestant who won a UFC title.

He upset Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at UFC 86 in July 2008 via unanimous decision after five rounds to be crowned the new light heavyweight champion.

Griffin won TUF season one but didn’t hold the belt for too long, as another TUF graduate, Rashad Evans, defeated him via TKO five months later.

“It’s not about cutting weight. It’s not about living in a f***ing house,” White added as he neared the end of his iconic speech.

“It’s about ‘Do you wanna be a fighter?’. It’s not all f***ing signing autographs and banging broads when you get outta here.

“It’s not. It’s no f***ing fun, man. It’s a job just like any other job. So the question is, not did you think you had to make weight, did you think you had to do this?

“Do you wanna be a f***ing fighter? That is my question. And only you know that. Anybody who says they don’t, I don’t f***ing want you here and I’ll throw you the fuck out of this gym so f***ing fast, your head will spin. It’s up to you.

“I don’t care. Cool? I love you all, that’s why you are here. Have a good night gentlemen.”

TUF season one’s finale was broadcast live on April 9, 2005, where the two finalists – Griffin and Stephan Bonnar – fought for a UFC contract.

It was the first live UFC broadcast on non-pay-per-view TV, and the reality show spearheaded White’s promotion into a new era dominating the combat sports scene.