Dana White On The UFC’s New $3,500 Coffee Table Book

Don’t know what to get that special fight fan of yours for Christmas? The UFC’s new limited edition book, Octagon, features over 800 photographs of UFC fighters inside the cage as well as licking their wounds in the locker room. The regular collector's edition goes for $2,500. Tack on another grand if you want the Deluxe Edition that comes with photographs you can pull from the book and frame. No amount of money, however, will buy you a version free of Joe Rogan. Both editions, limited to a total print run of 600 units, weigh in at 50 pounds. But if you're willing to part with that much cash we doubt you really give a shit about shipping charges. Read what Dana White had to say about the book and check out a gallery of pre and post-fight pics after the jump.

Complex: How long has Octagon been in the making?
Dana White: It started at UFC 40. We hired Kevin Lynch, he is a big photographer from L.A. who does all kinds of fashion and movie stuff. We hired him to come in to do something, he saw one event and he became addicted. Then he was like “Dana, can I just come and shoot these events? I'm not going to charge you or anything. I just want to do it.” So he came and just kept shooting the events. Then we start looking at some of the stuff he did, and we said “Shit.” Lorenzo Fertitta [UFC owner] is really into art. Lorenzo's a big art freak. That's how the whole concept of the book started. There are only 600 of them and these things are going to go fast.

Complex: What did you guys do to differentiate Octagon from other 50-pound coffee table books covered in fake blood?
Dana White: Wait until you hold the book and actually see it. The cover actually feels like the canvas when you touch the book. It feels like a real canvas. I seriously was blown away by it. I'm not going to try to sell the fucking thing at all. There's 600 of them, they're going to be gone like that. I'm telling you, the book is seriously impressive. It's impressive.

Current welterweight champion, Matt Serra (left) fighting Ivan Menjivar at UFC 48.

Complex: What was the inspiration behind the size of the book?
Dana White: The GOAT was, Greatest Of All Time. Me and Lorenzo both have the GOAT. Me and Lorenzo are both crazy Muhammad Ali fans.

Complex: Have any celebrity fans contacted you for a free copy yet?
Dana White: No, we haven't really even put it out there yet. I'm telling you, there are 600 of these things, it's going to go fast. I just did the Dennis Miller Show, and Miller wants one. Do you know who else wants one? Michael Eisner. Yeah, I did the Eisner Show the other day on CNBC, and he loved it.

Complex: Is he a fight fan?
Dana White: He is now. Did you know he just bought Topp's Trading Cards? Yeah, he just bought Topp's and he wants to do a deal with us. He's into it.

If you're into it, and by “into it” we mean dropping three and a half G's on a testament to the giving and receiving of pain, head to Octagon-Book.com to reserve a copy. Octagon drops December 15.