Dana White strongly defended free speech Saturday night after a Canadian reporter raised the issue of UFC fighters speaking their minds freely in public.
After UFC 297 had wrapped up at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, a Canadian journalist hearkened back to earlier in the week when then-UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland blasted another Canadian reporter for trying to trap him in a “gotcha” question.
The reporter began his question by saying that White gives his fighters a “long leash” to say what they want. However, White jumped in before the reporter could get any further.
“First of all, I don’t give anybody a leash. A leash? Free speech,” White said. “To control what people say and to tell people what to believe – I don’t tell any other f*ck*ng human being what to say, what to think, and there’s no leashes on any of them.”
Dana White introduces a Canadian reporter to the concept of free speech.
The poor man’s brain melted. He’s so used to being a chained dog, he thinks everyone else should be, too. pic.twitter.com/CJdxBmA4ol
— Billboard Chris 🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) January 21, 2024
“It’s ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want, and they can believe whatever they want.”
The issue arose earlier this week after a Canadian reporter attempted to bait Sean Strickland by bringing up the fighter’s 2021 comments when he said that if he had a “gay son, I would think I failed as a man to create such weakness.”
The reporter said, “We’ve got a pretty supportive gay and lesbian community in this city (Toronto),” the reporter began. He then brought up Strickland’s hypothetical about having a gay son, but he didn’t get much further than that before Strickland cut him off.
Wearing a tee shirt reading, “A woman in every kitchen and a gun in every hand,” Strickland went off.
“Oh, look!” Strickland exclaimed, “The swamp!”
Idk who this guy is and I don’t care but you’re not a man… But you’d take that as a compliment….. pic.twitter.com/PMR1h4Yp7K
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) January 17, 2024
You elected Justin Trudeau … you’re just f*ck*ng pathetic,” Strickland continued. “The fact that you have no f*ck*ng backbone, and as he shut down your f*ck*ng country and seized bank accounts, you ask me some f*ck*ng stupid sh*t like that? Go f*ck yourself. Move the f*ck on, man. F*ck*ng coward.”
Strickland lost his middleweight crown to South African Dricus Du Plessis via the judge’s decision.
