WATCH: ESPN cuts Dana White’s rant on mainstream media with commercial triggering fans

ESPN cuts to advertisement in the midldle of UFC CEO, Dana White's rant about media and how they manipulate things.

WATCH: ESPN cuts Dana White’s rant on mainstream media with commercial triggering fans

Dana White (Via IMAGO)

UFC CEO, Dana White, recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. The sports talk program airs on ESPN and is also available on YouTube. During the interview, White criticized mainstream media outlets and politicians. Ironically, right after White started sharing his negative views on the media, ESPN cut to a lengthy commercial break.

White said he avoids doing traditional media interviews nowadays. He claimed he only wants to have open discussions without “gotcha moments” or clickbait. The UFC CEO said he prefers podcasts where he can just casually “hang out” with the hosts. The host, Pat McAfee, asked him about his relationship with the media. This is what he was saying before ESPN cut to the commercial:

I do podcasts, I’ll come hang with you… lots of people want to talk to you because you’re not the media. You’re not coming on podcasts with people you want to have open discussions with and there’s not any gotcha moments there’s no agendas, no clickbait, and all the bull*** that goes on with the media. The media right now
Dana White via The Pat McAfee Show
YouTube video

This must be noted that every ESPN show gets cut with an advertisement at 01:53 pm. This leads fight fans to believe that this was not done intentionally by the ESPN team. The timing of White’s rant happened to coincide with the advertisement’s timing. The Pat McAfee Show on YouTube still has the entire rant by Dana White without any interruptions. This is usually the place where people watch the show.

FS Video

The sudden interruption prompted accusations that ESPN was deliberately silencing White’s rant against the media. Whether ESPN intentionally cut away or not, the moment symbolized larger fragmentation around news coverage. 

Fight fans react to Dana White’s rant being cut off by ESPN

Dana White recently made an appearance on sports personality Pat McAfee’s talk show. The interview aired on ESPN, where the pair discussed White’s grievances with mainstream media and politics. Fans have since questioned whether ESPN deliberately cut White off by airing a commercial just as he began to criticize the media.

Dana White on the Pat McAffe show
Dana White on the Pat McAfee show (Via X)

The apparent snub did not go unnoticed by attentive viewers. Fight fans took to social media to express their frustrations about snubbing White’s rant about the media. Several fight fans felt like this was an abuse of free speech by ESPN. Others defended ESPN, saying they always set their advertisement at 01:53 pm. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans: 

Whether orchestrated or not, the interruption unaired White’s full commentary to ESPN’s television viewers. The UFC head continued venting his frustrations regarding today’s journalism landscape only for digital streaming listeners on YouTube.

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