Dana White is standing by his belief that free speech should be protected at all times even if he doesn’t agree with what’s being said.
That was never clearer than when White ripped UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell for comments he made defending Adolf Hitler on a podcast but ultimately didn’t punish or fire him for what was said. The same goes for the continuing discourse surrounding political commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination, which has led to numerous firings, suspensions and even comedian Jimmy
Kimmel having his show yanked off the air for several days.
Vice President JD Vance even went on Kirk’s show in the wake of his death and stated “when you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder, call them out and, hell, call their employer.” While the UFC CEO understands the anger and vitriol surrounding those kinds of comments, he doesn’t believe anyone should be punished for saying it.
“I hate [cancel culture]. On both sides,” White told 60 Minutes. “All the stuff that’s going on with Charlie [Kirk] right now, these people are going out and saying stuff and you’re seeing people fired or kicked out of school.
“I think you’re a disgusting human being if you’re celebrating the death of another human being but people make mistakes. People are going to do dumb things. I don’t like trying to destroy people’s lives over doing something dumb.”
White stands by the fact that all speech has to be protected but especially when it’s something being said that you don’t agree with.
That’s why he doesn’t draw a line in the sand for fighters competing in the UFC when it comes to something said that might be offensive or out of bounds, which could potentially lead to punishment being handed out in other major sports leagues like the NFL or NBA.
“I’m a big believer in free speech,” White said. “Unfortunately, probably the most important speech to protect is hate speech.”
