UFC's Dana White, Affliction's Donald Trump face off

That's a mantra Dana White believes in, whether it's a young fighter starting out in mixed martial arts, or a start-up business.

White is president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the top MMA organization in the world, and spent years working to make the UFC profitable. Now, at last, he is reaping the benefits, so it's understandable that White gets defensive when another organization tries to take a piece of the pie.

The latest being Affliction.

"Nobody knows this sport or business of mixed martial arts better than I do," White said. "I can sit right back and watch everything that everybody does and tell you exactly what's going to happen."

Come Saturday night, the two go head to head, though White already predicts doom for Affliction. In fact, he refuses to call them competition.

"The guy who owns this company sells T-shirts for a living," White said. "They've never even put on a show."

Affliction, an apparel company based in Signal Hill that has grown popular in MMA circles, is venturing into the show business side of the sport with its production of Banned, a pay-per-view event scheduled for Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction, is aware he's been referred to as the "T-shirt guy" by White. He said it's just another sign that White feels backed into a corner.

"When somebody's threatened, they fight back," he said. "They tend to get their feathers ruffled."

Affliction's card has gained attention because it's scheduled to feature some of the sport's top heavyweights, including Fedor Emelianenko, considered No. 1 in his weight class. The heavyweight division is considered one of the weakest in the UFC.

"Every single one of our fights could be a main event," Atencio said.

Affliction is going big in other areas as well, partnering with real estate tycoon Donald Trump in raising capital, bringing in former UFC referee "Big" John McCarthy to serve as television analyst and securing heavy metal band Megadeth to perform during intermission.

Despite these signs of being a first-rate operation, White said Affliction is setting itself up for a first-round knockout.

"I see them as a smaller league that's trying to get up off the ground," White said. "They're going to blow way too much money doing it, and they won't be around much longer."