Why does Dana White oppose social activism in UFC?
Dana White doesn't like fighters spreading political ideas and social activism in the UFC.
Dana White (Image Courtesy: CNN)
In any major industry, politics always makes its way through and it somehow directly impacts everybody. It’s no different with UFC as fighters in the past have always been vocal about their political ideologies in the promotion. However, UFC president Dana White doesn’t like the idea at all.
In an interview with Fox News, White explained how he believes that fight fans won’t want to listen to fighters talking about politics. According to White, MMA, as a sport acts as an escape for many for a few hours from their regular day-to-day hustle, and fighters, shouldn’t ruin that.
He said: “They don’t want to hear that. They don’t want to hear what your opinions are or who you’re voting for, what you’re doing, they want to get away from everything in their life and they want to focus on two, three, four hours, however long the sport is when you turned it on.”
White also spoke on the social responsibilities the promotion has and people’s right to expression however, he doesn’t think UFC is the right platform for it. “If you want to listen to that stuff, turn on any other station, you will hear all of that stuff you want to hear. When you tune in to UFC, you are there to see fights,” he said.
However, this statement questions Dana White’s own involvement with his friend and former US president, Donald Trump’s election campaign. During that time, White was one of the most influential individuals to champion Trump’s government.
Related: How did Dana White and Donald Trump become friends?
UFC fighters known for their controversial political views
UFC fighters are popular among their fans and can have a huge following which is mostly due to their fighting performances. Many fighters use their fame to make political opinions and those might not have the best response from the public. Here’s the list of fighters who in the past have made controversial comments.
Rose Namajunas
Rose Namajunas is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC female roster. Before her title fight with Zhang Weili at UFC 261, Namajunas during an interview made communist remarks on Weili saying, “Better Dead than Red”. After that, the fighter was highly criticized for her comments.
Colby Covington
Colby Covington is widely known for his political comments which the fighter often makes. In the past, Covington has shown his support for Donald Trump and has promoted his fights wearing, a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.
Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa is a humorous individual and says whatever he feels like without any hesitation. He’s well known for his support of right-wing politician Jair Bolsonaro. The fighter has also commented saying, unlike Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin is not a weak leader.
Continue Reading:
Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)