In 2011, UFC President Dana White had a heated exchange with protesters outside of a UFC event who were denouncing the violence and danger they associated with mixed martial arts.
The confrontation, caught on video, began with the protesters chanting “UFC brings violence to our town” as White and his entourage approached the venue. White, never one to shy away from confrontation, decided to engage with the protesters directly.
“These people that are walking towards us right now, we’re here at the fight. They were out here protesting,” White can be heard saying in the video. “They’re out here protesting the fight.”
White then argues that most UFC stars are highly educated individuals with families, implying they knowingly enter the sport of their own volition as consenting adults. He stresses that MMA is a legitimate, regulated athletic competition governed by an athletic commission and subject to strict rules and safety protocols, no different than boxing or football.
“It’s regulated by the athletic commission, basically regulated by the government,” White states. “The government comes in and regulates it, lays down rules and what’s there, what’s safe and what’s not.”
When one protester contends that the objective is to hurt people, White vehemently pushes back: “It doesn’t hurt people either. It’s to win and to see who the best in the world, by the way you win is who you can’t beat.”
He highlights the sport’s point-scoring system, driving home the notion that inflicting damage is not the goal, but rather outscoring one’s opponent through superior technique and skill.
The video clip captures the passion White has for defending the integrity of the UFC brand against those who criticize it as too gratuitous. As the pugnacious promoter he is, White was unafraid to directly confront and rebut the protesters’ arguments about the dangers of MMA.