Dana White reveals ‘He couldn’t finish’ dream UFC fight that would have been historic for the sport and would have been a PPV hit

DANA WHITE has signed hundreds, if not thousands, of fights during his tenure as UFC president – but one dream match eluded the veteran promoter.

The mixed martial arts mogul has been at the center of some of the biggest fights in the history of the sport for over 21 years.

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From Conor McGregor’s grudge match against Khabib Nurmagomedov to the promotion’s first champion-versus-champion match between Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn, White has played a significant role in getting the big ones across the line.

But there was one fight the veteran promoter “couldn’t pull off” – despite his best efforts.

The fight in question: a heavyweight showdown between former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champions Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar.

White, 53, told SunSport: “I think I’ve done every fight I’ve ever set my mind to.

“The only fight I couldn’t fight was Fedor vs Lesnar.

“That was the only fight I couldn’t finish.”

Mixed martial arts legend Fedor sadly never graced the octagon — but it wasn’t because both parties didn’t try.

Negotiations took place in 2009 and 2015 for the Russian, who is set to end his glittering career early next year.

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The second round of talks reached an advanced stage, but an agreement that The Last Emperor should fight in the octagon was never reached.

A fight between current Bellator star Emelianenko – who is still considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight of all time – and Lesnar would have yielded gargantuan pay-per-view numbers.

WWE Superstar Lesnar was a PPV phenomenon during his tenure in the promotion, generating over a million pay-per-view purchases three times.

Unlike boxing — which has a litany of dream fights that never materialized — the UFC continues to deliver the fights its rabid fan base wants to see.

White prides himself on regularly hosting the fights that both he and the fans want to see.

Although the feeling for the powerhouse promoter has become somewhat normal.

He said: “I do this every weekend. Every weekend we do the fights [that] people want.”

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The UFC will resume action on January 14 at the Apex in Las Vegas, with a middleweight duel between Frenchman Nassourdine Imaov and Kelvin Gastelum topping the list

Their first pay-per-view event of the year comes a week later in Rio de Janeiro, with the vacant light heavyweight title bout between former champion Glover Texeira and Jamahal Hill serving as the parade match.