“What’s everybody sh*tting on India for?” Dana White quickly comes to defend Indian reporter after Abu Dhabi fans brutally chant for Pakistan
UFC 294 press conference sparks geopolitical tensions, with a pro-Pakistani crowd booing a question about UFC's plans for India, despite recent Indian fighter signings.
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Dana White and India Pakistan rivalry (Image via Imago, Economic Times, India Today)
The UFC 294 pre-fight press conference brought an interesting geopolitical connotation. The pro-Pakistani crowd in Abu Dhabi responded to a question from a Sony Sports India reporter for Dana White with boos. India and Pakistan have a longstanding rivalry, that often extends to sports.
At the event, the reporter asked the UFC CEO about the promotions plan for India. Even though he referenced the recent signings of Anshul Jubli and Puja Tomar from India by the UFC, the question was still met with animosity by the pro-Pakistani fans in Abu Dhabi. When the reporter asked about plans for UFC India, Khamzat Chimaev remarked, “I fight there before, I’m coming India.”
Furthermore, Dana White was confused with the boos and said, “Hey, What’s wrong with India, What’s everybody sh****ng on India for?” Nevertheless Dana White gave his word to the reporter as he said, “Yes Sir, we will come to India.”
Interestingly UFC 294 is the UFC debut of undefeated Indian fighter, Anshul Jubli. He fought at the undercard of UFC Fight Night 218 headlined by Sergey Spivak and Derrick Lewis. However, it was at the finals of the Road to UFC lightweight tournament. Jubli is scheduled to fight Mike Breeden at UFC 294, an event headlined by Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev.
Moreover, UFC has recently signed Puja Tomar, the Matrix Fight Night strawweight champion. Tomar announced the news on her Instagram. Tomar would be the first and as of now the only Indian woman signed by the UFC. She would be competing in the division where China’s Zhang Weili reigns as the queen. Like Pakistan, India has a longstanding rivalry with China.
Fans have reacted strongly to Dana White being pulled into the India-Pakistan geopolitical rivalry
Dana White did not anticipate being drawn into a decades-long geopolitical rivalry at UFC 294. The UFC CEO was at the presser, which featured Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski, Kamaru Usman, and Khamzat Chimaev. However, a question from a reporter from Sony Sports India left White bewildered.
The confusion of the UFC CEO at the presser circulated on social media. See the reaction of fans to the hilarious mixup below.
The fan reaction mainly described political matters. However, some fans used it to poke fun at Dana White. Some even commended Khamzat Chimaev for the words he said about India. Nevertheless, political dialogue clouded the comment section, and discussions related to MMA were very scarce.
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Ajinkya Aswale
(1115 Articles Published)