UFC boss Dana White has issued heavy criticism of comments made by UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell on a podcast in which he defended the actions of Adolf Hitler.
Mitchell was the subject of international media attention on Thursday when comments he made on a podcast alongside former UFC fighter Roli Delgado in which he said that Hitler was a “good guy” who wanted to “purify” Germany from the “greedy Jews.” Mitchell also stated his belief that the the Holocaust “ain’t real.”
White, who is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ahead of a UFC event this weekend, addressed the issue to the media with a pre-prepared statement following the conclusion of a Power Slap event.
“I’ve heard a lot of dumb and ignorant shit said over the years, but this is probably the worst,” White said.
“First of all, when you talk about Hitler, he was responsible for the death of six million Jews and it was his intent to completely eliminate the Jewish people. And that’s a guy you would want to go fishing with? And think about this, when you look at [World War II], it was the deadliest war in human history. In its entirety, you’re talking about a war that resulted in 15 million military deaths, and 45 million civilian deaths. That doesn’t include at least another 25 million soldiers that were wounded.
“Second of all, Hitler is one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the Earth, and anyone that even tries to take an opposing position is a moron. That’s the problem with the internet and social media. You provide a platform to a lot of dumb and ignorant people. We reached out to Bryce immediately when we read what he said, and let him know exactly how we felt about it. But what he said was beyond disgusting and he needs a real education on the facts surrounding Hitler and World War II.”
However, White added that he defends Mitchell’s right to free speech and said that the fighter will not face any official censure from the organisation.
“His thing was ‘I’m sorry if I put you guys in any position,’” White said of Mitchell’s response to the furore when contacted by the UFC. “He’s stupid. He’s dumb. You can’t fix dumb people. When you have somebody that’s really, really stupid and that’s what we’re talking about here, what do you do? How do you talk sense to a dummy? You don’t.”
