"Two of the worst guys to ever f****ng deal with" - Dana White claims former UFC champions tried to destroy the company

Dana White has stated that former champions Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture were two of the worst fighters he has ever worked with. White also claimed that they were both intent on destroying the UFC.

The 'Huntington Beach Bad Boy's' relationship with the 54-year-old White soured after claims that the former 205-pound champion made contract demands that were highly unacceptable. The pair's rivalry was once so bad that they were contracted to settle their beef in a licensed boxing bout, although it never came to fruition.

Meanwhile, Couture's relationship with the UFC president started out bitter, following Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchasing the MMA promotion in 2001. Part of the deal was fighters had to sign over their ancillary rights, which 'The Natural' disliked immensely. Couture would also later become an analyst for the UFC, before leaving his role after being offered more money in a rival organization.

Furthermore, the former UFC heavyweight champion was reportedly banned from cornering his son in a UFC bout in 2013.

Speaking about his relationship with Ortiz and Couture, Dana White pulled no punches. In a recent interview with Big Boy Off Air, White said:

"In the development of the UFC, there are probably two guys that absolutely tried to destroy the company and it was Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture. Two of the worst guys to ever f*cking deal with. Here's the problem with Tito's just a really dumb human being... He's very f*cking stupid."

He continued:

"Deals would be done for months and Tito would call up and say 'I'm not gonna show up unless you pay me another $150,000...' He would do this on the regular."

Check out White's comments here (57:50):

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Dana White details backstage conversation with Israel Adesanya after UFC 293 loss

Sean Strickland stunned the world at UFC 293 when he dominated Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title. 'Tarzan' put on the performance of his career as he outboxed 'The Last Stylebender' throughout the fight, before getting the nod 4-1 on all three judges' scorecards.

Following the shocking upset, Adesanya refused to talk to the media and instead left his head coach Eugene Bareman to answer questions.

Dana White was then asked the situation surrounding Adesanya at this week's 'Dana White's Contender Series' press conference. White revealed the conversation he had had with Adesanya following his loss:

"I asked [Adesanya] in the octagon, I said, 'Are you okay?' He said, 'I'll talk to you later.' I bumped into him in the back and he told me about as much as he told [the media]. So yeah it was strange."

Check out White's comments here (24:20):