Last weekend, a madman opened fire from he 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada at unsuspecting concert-goers who were enjoying some of Jason Aldean’s greatest hits, killing over 50 people and injuring nearly 500 more.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) did its part to honor victims, families and first responders who were all affected by the horrific event, donating $1 million to the cause and hosting over 1,500 of those people at last night’s (Sat., Oct. 7, 2017) UFC 216 event in “Sin City.”
UFC president Dana White, though, wanted Aldean to perform the National Anthem at the event, but was denied by the country music singer’s management, citing that Jason was shook up by the shooting and wasn’t sure if he’d be performing live anytime soon, if ever.
However, Aldean did perform, but not at UFC 216, but on Saturday Night Live in New York, the same night as UFC 216. Needless to say, White was not happy.
“His image was more important then coming back to Vegas and playing for the people who are his fans and who got shot watching him play,” White said.
“F*ck you Jason Aldean. Stay out of Vegas,” an angry White told TMZ Sports. According to Dana, he reached out to several other country musicians but was rejected by each and every one of them.
“Those are people who buy your albums and none of you country music people could sing the anthem in front of survivors and 1st responders?”
While it may beunderstandable for some artists to have some apprehension to return to Vegas just a few days after the worst mass shooting in United States history, White wasn’t having it.
Eventually, Dana got his longtime friend Everlast to perform “America the Beautiful” at UFC 216 in front of victims and first responders, who joined the musician inside the Octagon.
“This isn’t about money. This is about the bad ass people who fought through this sh*t that this coward did,” declared White.
Any of you siding with Dana on this one?
For complete UFC 216: “Ferguson vs. Lee” results, including play-by-play updates, click here.