The UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House was the target of several damning plans from terrorist groups. However, Dana White claims there was no safer place to be on June 14 than where Donald Trump resides.
Several threats were in place to derail the UFC White House event, with countless lives put at risk should the terrorists’ ill-advised ideas unfold. A coordinated drone attack was to be followed by a sniper assault on the fleeing civilians. Thankfully, the FBI and Secret Service quickly moved to disrupt the security threats, preventing a potential mass murder, and allowing the President to enjoy the fights on his 80th birthday.
Also in celebration of 250 years of America’s independence, Dana White was glad the event went ahead and is pleased with what he and his team were able to achieve with one of the biggest sporting events in history.
“It was incredibly special,” White said days removed from the White House card. “I mean, being there live and experiencing it. And like I said going into this thing, my goal for this was, this is America’s 250th birthday. If you are left, if you are right, if you are down the middle, this was not a political event. It was an American event.”
“And if you are an American and you love your country, I wanted you to feel proud. Everybody could sort of watch together and feel, you know, the history of this country. Again, I have a hard time articulating what this thing really was and how it felt and what it meant…”
“One of the greatest interviews I’ve seen is [Alexander] Volkanovski, who says, ‘I’m not even an American. I’m Australian and it was such an incredible experience to be there.’ That’s what I was trying to deliver on Sunday to Americans. And the fact that an Australian felt that way, I’m obviously very proud of that.”
A true once-in-a-lifetime event blossomed last Sunday. Each of the seven fights ended via stoppage, while one of the biggest upsets in sports history unraveled in the main event, as the American, Justin Gaethje, fighting to represent his country, having failed to capture undisputed gold to this point, entered the fight as a huge underdog and managed to dethrone the then-undefeated knockout artist, Ilia Topuria, to become the UFC lightweight champion of the world.
A rough weather warning was miraculously avoided when a worrying storm somehow wrapped around the octagon setup on the White House south lawn, leaving the area unscathed despite prior doubts.
Amid the chaos, the FBI deserves much credit for halting the terrorist plan that was directed toward UFC Freedom 250. After proceedings, Dana White revealed that he knew of the main plot and some subplots and was kept updated throughout the showcase.
“There was more than that [plot]. There was more than that,” White claimed. “And yes, I was in the loop on all of the stuff that was happening in real time. These are the kind of events that bring the nuts out. You know what I mean?” White continued. “These are, yeah. This is normal stuff.”
Dana White gave flowers to law enforcement for the work they put in to keep everybody safe last weekend, allowing the event to go ahead unchallenged.
Despite being the target of many threats, White insisted that Washington, D.C., was the safest place to be in America when the historic card got underway.
“The FBI is so good. I mean, these guys are so good at what they do. I mean, the up-to-date things that I had during, you know, the week of the fight. These guys are incredible.”
“Listen, here’s the reality. There was no safer place in America to be on Sunday night than in [Washington,] DC.”