Dana White appeared at the post-event press conference following the UFC’s White House event on America’s 250th birthday. During the presser, he addressed questions about whether sports can help bring people together amid political and cultural divisions.
When asked about the role of sports in fostering unity, White explained that he intentionally avoided building the card around a nationalistic theme.
“I never wanted this card to be an America versus the world type card,” White said. “America is a place with people from all over the world who helped build this country, and I wanted everybody to be represented.”
White revealed that the promotion even attempted to include more international representation than what ultimately appeared on the card.
“I wanted China, too, but that didn’t work out,” he added.
The UFC CEO said the event was designed to be a celebration rather than a political statement, regardless of how some critics viewed it beforehand.
“Hopefully tonight created some unity,” White said. “Like even for the people that thought this was going to be some big political statement or something, this wasn’t.”
Instead, White framed the event as a shared celebration of the country’s milestone anniversary.
“This was Americans, all Americans celebrating the birthday,” he continued.
Addressing the political narratives surrounding the event in the weeks leading up to it, White pointed to the wide range of media outlets he spoke with before fight night.
“I did all the media,” he said. “We went to New York. I did far left. I did far right. I did down the middle. I did it all.”
White argued that Americans across the political spectrum could appreciate the occasion regardless of their beliefs.
“And I believe that if you are an American, no matter where you sit politically, tonight was a proud night to just sit around and enjoy the 250th birthday of America,” he said.
He also emphasized that his motivation for organizing the event was rooted in patriotism rather than politics.
“I love this country and this event was for America’s 250th birthday,” White said. “There was no political agenda for this event or anything like that.”
Closing his remarks, White reiterated his hope that the card achieved more than just entertaining fans.
