Calling it “ominous” and akin to something the NFL’s Raiders would wear, UFC President Dana White unveiled the BMF belt on Friday.
New York, NY — There’s a prize on the line in the main event at UFC 244: the title of “baddest motherf*cker.”
And yes, there’s a belt that comes attached to that.
Awaiting the victor of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, the “BMF” belt has been talked about nearly non-stop since UFC President Dana White revealed that the promotion would actually commission a physical championship belt to go with the concept. On Friday, at the Hulu Theater in New York, White unveiled the prize.
“Obviously it’s not bright and shiny and frilly. It’s dark and ominous,” White said, describing the belt as he displayed it for media members including Cageside Press. “It’s got like a Raiders feel to it,” he suggested, referencing the NFL team, whose uniforms rank among the darkest in the league.
“It’s tough, it’s heavy as hell. It’s got black diamonds,” he added, noting that the belt displays the event — UFC 244 — as well as the date, venue, and his own signature, to distinguish it from knockoffs.
“And it does say “baddest motherf*cker” on it too,” declared White.
The creation of the BMF belt, to be handed out by The Rock at the end of UFC 244’s main event, is something of a surprise move from the UFC, who have shied away from super-fights and the like over the years.
“We traditionally wouldn’t headline a card with a main event that wasn’t a title fight,” White admitted. But when it came to the BMF belt, he said, “I just thought the way that the whole callout happened, and who is the BMF in the game, you know… I told my guys, ‘listen I know this is crazy, just throwing this out there, what do you think?’ and they loved it.”
And so the physical title is here. Looking not unlike the UFC’s regular title belts, but there’s good reason for that, White said Friday. “We didn’t have time. We couldn’t build something completely new. They have to build the plates and everything else.”
Still, he underscored, “it’s the same style that looks like our belt — but it’s not our belt.”
At $50,000 U.S., White added, “that’s the most expensive belt we’ve ever made.”
