A couple of fighters have mocked Dana White’s recent comments.
Since being caught on camera slapping his wife, Dana White made his first public appearance to the media on Wednesday night. The UFC President confirmed that he won’t really face any consequences, pretty much saying he’s rich enough not to get affected by any sanctions anyway.
“What should the repercussions be? I take 30 days off? How does that hurt me? I told you guys when we were going through COVID, COVID could last 10 years. I could sit it out.” White said. “Me leaving hurts the company, hurts my employees, hurts the fighters. It doesn’t hurt me. I could’ve left in 2016.
“Here’s my punishment: I have to walk around for however long I live… and this is how I’m labeled now,” he said. “The punishment is that I did it, and now I have to deal with it.”
While The UFC President will seemingly just continue business as usual, and not everyone has been too happy about it. UFC veterans Ramsey Nijem and Al Iaquinta took to twitter to mock White’s comments.
“When I was suspended for 9 months for weed I think the better punishment would have been known as a weed user,” Nijem wrote. “That’s the punishment commissioners being known as a weed user, I have to live with that the rest of my life.”
“When I was suspended from winning bonuses for 3 fights for cursing at the crowd and wrecking a hotel room, I think the better punishment would have been to be known as a crowd cursing hotel wrecker,” Iaquinta followed.
When I was suspended for 9 months for weed I think the better punishment would have been known as a weed user. That’s the punishment commissioners being known as a weed user, I have to live with that the rest of my life.
— Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) January 12, 2023
When I was suspended from winning bonuses for 3 fights for cursing at the crowd and wrecking a hotel room, I think the better punishment would have been to be known as a crowd cursing hotel wrecker @danawhite https://t.co/lcIYqyt2n9
— Al Iaquinta (@ALIAQUINTA) January 12, 2023
Punishing you would have only punished the hotel staff that gets paid to clean the room
— Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) January 12, 2023
I did it for the staff!!!
— Al Iaquinta (@ALIAQUINTA) January 12, 2023
Apart from White’s latest statements, UFC’s parent company Endeavor and ESPN have remained silent about the incident.
While White will seem to avoid any real punishments, 17 State Senators and 32 Assemblywomen have recently called for his “immediate removal” as UFC President. Sports stars and Hollywood actors have also expressed frustration on the uneven treatment White has received compared to other public figures.
About the author: Anton Tabuena is the Managing Editor for Bloody Elbow. He’s been covering MMA and combat sports since 2009, and has also fought in MMA, Muay Thai and kickboxing. (full bio)