Dana White has hit back at multiple Australian media organisations branding them ‘the biggest p****** I have ever seen in the media in my life’.
The UFC has returned to Australia for the sixth time in the promotion’s history on Sunday for UFC312, with Dricus Du Plessis retaining his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at the Qudos Bank Arena, in what was a brutal slugfest that saw the South African break the US star’s nose.
But despite the popularity of the sport Down Under, there has been some criticism of the New South Wales government’s decision to work with the UFC to host the event in Sydney this weekend.
In an opinion piece published this week, Bevan Shields, an Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald published an article claiming he ‘felt sick’ after listening to the Straight Talk with Mark Bouris podcast, which saw the UFC president and Minns discuss the topic of hosting the UFC in Australia.
Shields questioned the government’s decision to spend taxpayer money on the events after it had been revealed that New South Wales had reached a $16million deal with the fighting championship to host multiple events.
In his opinion piece, he referenced how the deal had previously prompted criticism from women’s safety advocates, Full Stop, who raised concerns over hosting an event that they claimed ‘glorified violence’. Opposition leader Mark Speakman had subsequently called Minns ‘tone deaf’ over the move.
UFC president Dana White hit out at Australian media outlets on Sunday branding them ‘p******’
It came after Dricus Du Plessis secured a unanimous-decision victory against Sean Strickland on Sunday afternoon in Sydney
Shields wrote: ‘The vast majority of voters find the UFC gross and would be appalled to know their money is helping to prop it up.’
Today, White fielded questions from reporters on the backlash the UFC has gained in the run up to the event.
In his response, he appeared to referenced Shields’ article and called Australian media ‘p******’.
‘For a place that is so tough and the people, everything on land and in the water can kill you – you have the biggest p****** I have ever seen in the media in my life,’ White said.
‘I saw a story where a guy was like: “I saw Dana do a podcast with the [NSW] Premier and it made me physically sick. ‘Holy f***ing s*** you guys have to have the biggest p****** of all time in the media here. Just for the record.’
Several outlets have criticised the New South Wales Premier Chris Minns for his decision to work with the fighting championship in recent weeks
It also comes after White hit out at the Daily Telegraph on Instagram earlier this week, after the outlet slammed Strickland for his explosive comments, in which he criticised the Australian government, branding it ‘communist’.
The paper had published a picture of Strickland on its back page with the headline: ‘Will someone, please… knock this guy out’ which White is understood to have reposted on his Instagram story with the caption: ‘Australian news paper lol’.