Dana White Responds To John Oliver Segment About Hosting UFC Events During Pandemic
White: John Oliver Segment Used Selective Facts
UFC president Dana White hit back at comedian John Oliver’s recent segment about the promotion hosting events.
Oliver’s latest episode of his show “Last Week Tonight” saw him focus on sports during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as his attention eventually turned to the UFC.
After the UFC recently hosted three events in the span of a week in Jacksonville, Florida, Oliver discussed the positive COVID-19 test of Jacare Souza along with his two coaches and how there was no way to have a risk-free event.
Although White admitted he was a fan of Oliver, he felt the British talk show host used “selective facts” in the segment.
“I like John Oliver, I think he’s funny. But this is a perfect example of how you can control the narrative by using selective facts,” White wrote on Twitter. “We did approximately 1,100 tests, only 3 were positive, it was a fighter and his 2 trainers and we had 3 events NOT 1.”
Given the reach of John Oliver, it seems like White had no choice but to defend himself — even though the former said nothing that was blatantly wrong.
Regardless, it isn’t going to stop the UFC from hosting shows.
The plan for now is to host an event on May 30 which is likely to be headlined by a welterweight bout between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns. It’s only the location that needs to be ironed out as of now.
What do you make of the segment and White’s response?
