Photo: Zuffa LLC
UFC President Dana White denounced American fighter Bryce Mitchell after he made a slew of offensive comments and spoke highly of Adolf Hitler during the debut episode of his podcast this week.
“I’ve heard a lot of dumb and ignorant s**t in my day, but this one is probably the worst,” White said while visibly angry during a press conference. “When you talk about Hitler, he was responsible for the death of six million Jews and he tried to completely eliminate a race of people.”
“Hitler is one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the face of the Earth, and anyone that even tries to take an opposing position is a moron," he added. “That’s the problem with the internet and social media. You provide a platform for a lot of dumb and ignorant people.”
White said he was "beyond disgusted" by Mitchell's comments, but didn't plan on suspending him as the comments were within "free speech."
“That’s the beautiful thing about this business, for all of you that hate Bryce Mitchell, you get to see him hopefully get his ass whooped on global television,” White added.
Mitchell, who has competed in the UFC since 2018, said he believed Hitler was a "good guy" before getting on methamphetamine, citing an unproven internet theory, before taking aim at Jewish and LGBTQ+ people.
“I honestly think Hitler was a good guy based on my own research – not my public education, indoctrination. I really do think before Hitler got on meth, he was a guy I’d go fishing with,” he said.
The Regenaissance, a clothing brand that sponsored Mitchell, announced its decision to withdraw its affiliation after his controversial comments.
“His comments do not reflect the intention, ideas, or beliefs of The Regenaissance in any manner on this topic, and due to the nature of these comments we can no longer be affiliated at this time,” said Ryan Griggs, the brand's founder, on Instagram.