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Dana White didn’t mean to suggest that UFC fighters were getting health benefits. The UFC president has now clarified that a recent comment of his on Instagram wasn’t regarding his promotion's fighters receiving health benefits.
As we’d previously reported, during an Instagram Q&A session with UFC analyst Karyn Bryant, Dana White was asked whether UFC fighters would receive long-term health benefits. The Instagram user who posed this question wanted to know whether the UFC will help its fighters deal with potentially life-altering health problems that are caused by a career in fighting.
Dana White replied to this question by simply stating – “Soon”.
This set the MMA community abuzz with debates and discussions, with a large number of fans and experts hailing this move as a step in the right direction for the sport of MMA.
Nevertheless, Dana White has now clarified that his comment wasn’t a response to the aforementioned Instagram user. Speaking to UFC Arabia’s Farah Hannoun, White cleared the misunderstanding.
Farah Hannoun asked Dana White –
“You had mentioned – I think it was a Q&A that you did with Karyn Bryant – that somebody had asked you about long-term health benefits for fighters. And you responded saying ‘soon’. Is that something that you’ve recently kind of been working on? Do you have any update or information on that?”
Dana White responded by stating –
“Yeah. That wasn’t a Q&A. That was on Instagram. And actually, I responded to the wrong guy when I said ‘soon’.” Dana White laughed and added, “That was wrong, actually. I responded. I actually noticed that later. It said ‘soon’, but it was on the wrong post. I wasn’t talking to that guy. (It was) with somebody else.” (*Video courtesy: UFC Arabia; H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Dana White didn’t expound upon this topic any further. However, White’s latest comments regarding health benefits for UFC fighters appear to have provided further impetus to the ongoing discussions.
Certain sections of the MMA community have expressed their disagreement with Dana White’s stance. They believe that the UFC ought to craft a scheme to provide long-term health benefits to its fighters.
Dana White was criticized for his reaction to UFC veteran Spencer Fisher’s brain damage case earlier this year
Former UFC fighter Spencer Fisher made headlines a few months back due to the revelations he made regarding the health issues he’s been suffering after a lengthy MMA career. Fisher notably competed in the UFC and was praised by many for his exciting fighting style.
Unfortunately, his fighting career left him having to deal with severe health complications – most prominently brain damage and health complications related to brain damage such as nausea, memory loss, etc.
Fisher has been raising awareness regarding CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), and brain damage in general, in a bid to educate other fighters on these issues. He aims to help fighters prevent the wear and tear of a combat sports career from giving them long-term brain damage.
Needless to say, Fisher’s case once again shed light upon the importance of long-term health benefits for MMA fighters. Demands for these health benefits have long been made but are yet to be fulfilled in the MMA industry.
Dana White was asked for his views on Fisher going public with the brain damage issues he’s dealing with. With regard to the Spencer Fisher case, White said –
“Listen, we are all learning every day about the brain injury stuff…We have been investing in this (Lou) Ruvo Center to try to figure out more. We are now interested (about) this thing just came out on 'Real Sports' about psychedelics, and we have actually reached out to the Johns Hopkins guys, and we're diving into that."
"But listen, (Fisher) is not the first, and he is definitely not going to be the last. This is a contact sport, and everybody who has ever done this (while) younger, myself included, is dealing with brain issues. It is just part of the gig.”
What are your views on Dana White’s statements? Sound off in the comments.
