Dana White: My problem is with AKA

UFC president Dana White says the release of Jon Fitch has nothing to do with his refusal to sign away his likeness, but has all to do with his differences with Fitch's American Kickboxing Academy team and management.

"It has nothing to do with an agreement, it has nothing to do with Jon Fitch either," White said in an interview on The Carmichael Dave Show. "I like Jon Fitch. I've never had a bad word with Jon Fitch. The problem is, is the idiots that run AKA. I won't use any names, the idiots know who they are."

White points to the struggling economy as the reason why he's so disgusted with the demands of Fitch's management. He says "the world is a dangerous place right now" and insinuates that the fighters have no business making huge demands.

"The economy is changing by the second.," White said. "Everyday when you wake up tomorrow bad things are happening. Not just in the US [but] all over the world. Television networks are in trouble. The sponsors are in trouble. Some of them are going out of business, the rest of them are cutting their sponsorships big time. Companies that have been around for 100 years are going out of business. It's crazy."

A frustrated White, a father of three, told Dave that he's on the road all the time and he's the one making the sacrifices for the fighters and expects the same from them.

"I'm in this situation now where I got these guys -- I'm trying to run a business. Bro, I live on a plane 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That's all I do is fly everywhere trying to build this company. These guys think this thing so big, and they start negotiating all this stupid stuff like they're Mel Gibson. Like we're going to do -- no disrespect to Jon Fitch. I like Jon Fitch -- like we're going to do the Jon Fitch swim line, and the clothing line. It's insane."

White says he's not afraid to lose fighters. He welcomes others to go elsewhere if they're not happy.

"This is just like any other job. You don't want to work for me? There's plenty of other opportunities out there. The t-shirt guys (Affliction) are trying to start their own business. Get in business with them. Do it with somebody else. If you don't want to do business with me, then you don't have to be in business with me. It's as simple as that."