UFC President and CEO Dana White has vehemently denounced the incendiary remarks made by featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell during a recent episode of his “ArkanSanity Podcast.” In a tirade that left many stunned, Mitchell propagated baseless Holocaust denial, heaped misguided praise upon Adolf Hitler, and launched into a tirade against both the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities.
“I’ve been exposed to an array of imbecilic and uninformed rhetoric over the years, but this unequivocally stands as the most egregious,” White declared in a statement provided to ESPN. “To even broach the subject of Hitler in a laudatory manner is an affront to history itself. This was a man who orchestrated the systematic extermination of six million Jewish lives with the explicit objective of obliterating an entire people. And that’s someone you’d consider an admirable figure? Someone you’d want to spend time with? It defies comprehension.”
Mitchell’s remarks surfaced during the debut installment of his podcast, where he provocatively suggested that Hitler was a “patriotic leader” who merely “stood for his homeland.” His words, drenched in historical revisionism, immediately ignited a firestorm of outrage.
White did not mince words when addressing the controversy in a press briefing following a Power Slap event in Saudi Arabia. “This diatribe is not just reprehensible—it is beyond the pale,” he asserted. “Hitler stands as one of the most malevolent and heinous figures in the annals of humanity. To attempt even a modicum of defense for such a monster is the epitome of ignorance. The internet and social media, for all their utility, unfortunately provide a megaphone to the most uninformed and reckless voices.”
Despite the uproar, White made it clear that the UFC would not be taking punitive measures against Mitchell.
“Freedom of speech is sacrosanct,” White stated. “That’s the reality of this sport—if you despise Bryce Mitchell for his words, you’ll get the chance to see him potentially receive a thorough reckoning inside the Octagon on a global stage.