UFC CEO Dana White recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show , and he brought along Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. The two appeared on the program to announce that UFC 330 is heading to Philadelphia in August, a pairing that Pat McAfee openly acknowledged would surprise many people.
During the podcast, McAfee pointed out what the appearance of a sitting Democratic governor alongside White was meant to signal. “A lot of people would just judge Dana and just consider him to be some far-right guy who hasn’t obviously had to work with both sides of the political system,” McAfee said, before welcoming Shapiro to the show.
Governor Shapiro got right to the point. “Dana and I may have some political differences, but we both understand the power of UFC,” he said. “We understand the power of sports to bring people together. And I’m proud to be here today to announce that UFC 330 is coming to Philadelphia in August. I was proud to work with Dana and his team to get this done. We are so pumped up here in Pennsylvania.”
White followed up by making clear how much the city means to the organization. He stated, “We love Philly. When you think about Philly, you think about fighting. Some of the greatest fighters ever, and some of the great fights in the early days of boxing came out of Philly.”
He also pointed to the sporting moment Pennsylvania finds itself in, noting the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, the World Cup coming to Philadelphia, the PGA Championship in Philly, and now a numbered UFC event returning to the city.
The announcement came amid growing conversation around the UFC’s perceived political alignment following the rollout of UFC Freedom 250, a White House lawn event tied to the 250th anniversary of the United States.
White has pushed back against the idea that the White House event is politically motivated. “I don’t care if you’re far right, far left, right down the middle, wherever you sit politically. This isn’t about politics. This is about the United States. If you love America, you’re going to love this event,” he said.
Shapiro echoed that thinking in his own way, saying he believes “sports is a great way to speak a common language and bring people together.” He also noted his kids had been keeping the UFC 330 announcement secret for weeks, calling them massive UFC fans.
