UFC President Dana White Blasted For Calling White House Shooting Scare 'Awesome'

UFC president Dana White was heavily criticised by a former UFC fighter for finding the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting scare 'awesome'.

Shortly after the incident, a relaxed and seemingly thrilled White spoke to reporters. Former UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown has delivered a blunt assessment of White's response to a recent security alert at the Washington Hilton.

White Was Wrong To Say That

In a clip shared by MMA Fighting, Brown condemned the UFC chief's unusual reaction to the White House shooting scare.

Brown openly admitted he was caught off guard and evidently appalled by White's public comments. For 'The immortal', his former boss' dismissive and excited tone failed to account for the gravity of the situation.

Brown's criticism is rooted in his own harrowing history with gun violence. He was present during the 2004 Alrosa Villa nightclub shooting in Columbus, Ohio.

That tragedy claimed four lives and left three others wounded. The gunman, Nathan Gale, was eventually killed by responding officer James Niggemeyer.

'I'm absolutely flabbergasted, or blind, it took me completely blindsided when he come out, when I seen the short little clip of him saying that was awesome,' Brown exclaimed. 'And I think I have a little bit more justification in criticizing that, being that I've been in a mass shooting before. I guess you call it a mass shooting, three people died, I think. But I've been there like when there was a shooting going on, which most people probably haven't, right? It is not awesome in any sense of the word.'

'Like it is not f****** cool one bit, and for him to say that, like I did not appreciate that... there's people whose lives are at risk there,' he pointed out.

It Could Be Traumatic

The security breach saw President Donald Trump, the First Lady, and several cabinet members swiftly evacuated by the Secret Service. Trump later confirmed that a police officer was shot at close range during the chaos. The officer was saved by a bulletproof vest and treated at a local hospital.

Brown emphasised that while some may view the event through a political or entertainment lens, the reality for those involved is far more severe. He noted that the officer who got shot could face a long road to recovery as the event could be deeply traumatic for him.

Brown remains adamant that life-threatening situations require a level of respect and seriousness that he felt was missing from White's remarks.

'It's a traumatic experience for him and there's not a single f****** thing awesome about that,' Brown said.

Having hung up his gloves in 2024 May at the age of 43, 'The Immortal' called it quits after a staggering 30 appearances under the UFC banner. Brown last fought professionally at UFC on ABC 4 where he suffered a tough TKO loss to fellow veteran Court McGee.

Now transitioned into his post-fighting life, Brown is dedicating his energy and time to several key ventures. He is currently overseeing his Immortal Martial Arts Centre, the gym he established in Ohio back in 2018 and is also working on some real estate projects.