JTA — Dana White, president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, did not mince words Thursday when responding to a UFC athlete’s praise of Hitler.
He said, however, that UFC would not be penalizing Bryce Mitchell, who made the comments.
“Out of all the dumb, ignorant shit I’ve heard in my life, this has to be the dumbest and most ignorant,” White said at a Thursday press conference.
White, who has led the global mixed martial arts company since 2001, was responding to comments that Mitchell, a featherweight fighter, made in the first episode of his “ArkanSanity Podcast.” The episode included Holocaust denial as well as other antisemitic and homophobic conspiracy theories.
“I honestly think that Hitler was a good guy, based upon my own research, not my public education indoctrination,” Mitchell said in a clip that has since gone viral. “I really do think before Hitler got on meth, he was a guy I’d go fishing with. He fought for his country, he wanted to purify it by kicking the greedy Jews out that were destroying his country and turning them all into gays. They were gaying out the kids, they were queering out the women, they were queering out the dudes.”
Mitchell, who has fought in the UFC since 2018, went on to say that the Nazis burned “queer books,” because “Hitler didn’t want a bunch of queers destroying his nation.”
He also denied the Holocaust, reportedly saying, “When you realize there’s no possible way they could’ve burned and cremated six million bodies, you’re gonna realize the Holocaust ain’t real.”
Mitchell has previously shared conspiracy theories about COVID-19, mass shootings and the shape of the earth.
White opened his Thursday press conference, held before an event for his Power Slap promotion in Saudi Arabia, by denouncing the 30-year-old’s comments, calling him “literally one of the dumbest human beings.”
“When you talk about Hitler, he was responsible for the death of 6 million Jews and he tried to completely eliminate a race of people,” White said, before listing the millions of other victims of World War II.
“Second of all, Hitler was one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the face of the earth, and anyone that even tries to take an opposing position is a moron,” White added. “We’ve obviously reached out to Bryce, and when we read what he said, and let him know how we feel about it — we’re beyond disgusted.”
But when asked whether Mitchell would face any disciplinary action from the UFC, White said he would not.
“Free speech — I don’t have to love it, you don’t have to love it,” White responded.
When asked about the risk of Mitchell receiving a platform if he wins a fight, White said, “That’s the beautiful thing about this business, for all of you that hate Bryce Mitchell, you get to see him hopefully get his ass whooped on global television. What do you want me to say about it?”
Other leagues have penalized athletes and owners for antisemitic and racist speech. Former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott, who praised Hitler and made a string of other offensive remarks, was suspended from day-to-day operation of the baseball team for a year in 1993, and fined. LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who made racist comments about Black people, was banned for life from the NBA and fined millions of dollars. NBA star Kyrie Irving was suspended by the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 for promoting an antisemitic film.
White added that Mitchell had not expressed regret over his comments, and had said only that he was “sorry if I put you guys in any position.”
Mitchell will be facing some consequences: The apparel brand The Regenaissance announced on Instagram that it was withdrawing its sponsorship of Mitchell, which it said was its only brand deal.
“His comments do not reflect the intention, ideas, or beliefs of The Regenaissance in any manner on this topic, and due to the nature of these comments we can no longer be affiliated at this time,” said the company’s founder Ryan Griggs.
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