Dana White defends Colby Covington: 'I don't know if I heard anything racist that he said'
UFC president Dana White doesn’t take issue with Colby Covington’s controversial comments. White stood by Covington on Thursday, saying Covington didn’t say anything racist.
White, 51, was asked about the situation after a number of UFC fighters criticized Covington after he called Black Lives Matter “terrorists.”
White responded by saying he encourages his fighters to speak their minds, and added that he wasn’t sure Covington said anything racist.
"I don't know if I heard anything racist that [Colby Covington] said." - #UFC president Dana White
Watch full video: https://t.co/zHlRrVeJMG pic.twitter.com/nb7sQbccko— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) September 24, 2020
Colby Covington in hot water after BLM comments
Covington, 32, drew ire after comparing Black Lives Matter to “terrorists.” Covington also called the organization “criminals.” He made those comments following his win over Tyron Woodley on Saturday.
"Black Lives Matter is a complete sham. It's a joke. They're taking people that are complete terrorists. These are bad people… [Tyron Woodley] is a communist. He's a Marxist. He hates America." - @ColbyCovMMA
Watch full video: https://t.co/byIP4pUx7M pic.twitter.com/F6ze1zGJZG— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) September 20, 2020
Covington also hurled politically charged barbs at Woodley, calling him a Marxist and a communist. Covington is a big supporter of President Donald Trump. The two have tweeted at each other and taken pictures together. Trump even called Covington to congratulate him after his win over Woodley.
Fight hard tonight Colby. You are a real Champ! #MAGA https://t.co/dj3JlWQu7i
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2019
White is also a Trump supporter, and has spoken at Trump rallies.
Other UFC fighters upset with Colby Covington
While White saw no issue with Covington’s comments, other UFC fighters don’t feel the same way. Sijara Eubanks called Covington’s comments “racist” and “disgusting.” Israel Adesanya said Covington insulted Adesanya’s culture.
Even Reebok got involved. While the company doesn’t directly sponsor Covington, it sponsors UFC. Reebok stated it does not agree with Covington’s comments.
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