This is America, You Can Do Whatever You Want: UFC Chief on Trump ‘Booing Incident’ at Recent Fight

UFC boss Dana White commented on President Donald Trump’s attendance at UFC 224, saying that the audience had treated Trump with respect. During the post-fight press conference, White responded to allegations that the president had been booed when he appeared in the arena, remarking that people in the United States are free to express themselves.

"Whoever you are, this is America. You can believe or do whatever you want. If you want to boo, you can boo. As an American, you can do whatever you want to do, and you can choose whatever side you want to be on”, Dana White said.

Multiple videos posted online show the spectators going crazy when the 45th president appears in the arena, with netizens and the public arguing whether Trump was being booed or cheered.

​While commenting on the incident, UFC head Dana White complained about the current political situation in the United States. “There is this craziness going on politically right now… if you are a Trump guy you don’t like certain types of people. There’s a lot of bulls*** in that. The country is in a crazy place right now with all that", he said.

White also praised Trump’s decision to attend the event and his support for the UFC, saying the president’s appearance at the fight was a landmark moment both for the UFC as an organisation and for MMA as a sport.

"I have walked out of that tunnel for the last 20 years, I’ve never f***ing seen anything like that in my life like tonight when I walked out of that tunnel with him. I will never forget it as long as I live. It was crazy. Everything that ever happened to me in my career, Trump was the first guy to pick up the phone and reach out to me. When we first bought this company venues didn’t want us, no venue wanted the UFC. At the time Trump reached out and asked us to come to the Taj Mahal and that’s where we ended up doing our first two events, cut us great deals, showed up at the first fight and stayed till the end”, Dana White said.

Was the president booed or cheered?

The US mainstream media quickly jumped to the conclusion that most of the audience attending the event had mercilessly booed the president, while other outlets noted that the reaction was mixed and that Trump and his entourage was cheered. The president himself took to Twitter and said that suggestions he was jeered were fake news. Netizens were divided on the issue, with some pointing out that most of the videos show that the audience was unhappy to see the commander-in-chief.

​Other social media users sided with the president, saying that his appearance caused euphoria and that Democrats still can’t forgive the 73-year-old Republican for their loss in the 2016 presidential election.

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