UFC president Dana White has condemned comments made by fighter Bryce Mitchell about Adolf Hitler as “beyond disgusting”.
The featherweight fighter, 30, said he thought the German dictator was a “good guy” and repeatedly denied that the Holocaust happened during the first episode of his podcast, ArkanSanity.
Addressing the comments at a news conference on Thursday, White said Mitchell “needs a real education on the facts surrounding Hitler and World War Two”.
He said: “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 opposition position is a moron.
“That’s the problem with the internet and social media. You provide a platform to a lot of dumb and ignorant people.”
UFC boss Dana White called the comments ‘beyond disgusting’. Pic: AP
White added that UFC immediately reached out to Mitchell and “let him know exactly how we felt about it”.
Despite the comments, he will not face disciplinary action, White said, citing freedom of expression.
Mitchell has been fighting in the UFC, the largest promotion of mixed martial arts, since 2018 and won his last fight against Brazilian Kron Gracie in December.
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Sports journalist Ariel Helwani, who is known for reporting on mixed martial arts, criticised his comments on X, writing: “Each and every day MMA finds a way to reach a new low. A new way of embarrassing itself and those who are fans of it.
“Nothing will be done, and I don’t even care if anything is done. Say what you want. It just continues to baffle me at how unbelievably stupid – not to mention bigoted – some of the people in the sport or associated with the sport can be.”
The UFC is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company that hosts fights around the world.