Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Cirque du Soleil
The latest entry into the “Pussification of America.”
Most of the media, including the “douchey reporters” who cover mixed martial arts (MMA), have been critical of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for its attempts to stage live events during the coronavirus pandemic, despite a shutdown across most major sports.
That doesn’t sit well with promotion president, Dana White, who lashed out during an Instagram live session on Thursday night. And in typical White fashion, every counterargument came wrapped in an ad hominem attack.
“Think about this: Go online and look at some of these people – and this isn’t a knock, this is just a fact: The weakest, wimpiest people on earth cover the biggest, baddest sport on earth,” White said (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “What do you expect them to say? What do you think they’re gonna say?”
As of this writing, coronavirus has infected 254,798 and killed 10,447. The state of California is currently under a shelter-in-place, Italy and Spain are a complete disaster, and sports teams like Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers have reported infected athletes.
UFC was forced to postpone its next three events, but vows to keep UFC 249 afloat.
“Listen, the media can talk as much shit as they want,” White continued. “They don’t feed families. They don’t take care of fucking people. We were taking care of people and making sure that everybody’s healthy, and every fighter that’s with me on the road is getting much better medical attention than they are at home – if they’re with me. You know what I mean?”
I was just as excited as every other fan to watch the UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) event, headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, but I would much rather wait and have it staged inside a sold-out arena with no distractions than sit through a hollow broadcast in the middle of the desert just to make sure the show adheres to its April 18 date.