UFC president Dana White had a strong reaction to those criticizing his recent gesture.
Earlier this month, White gifted Nelk Boys member Kyle Forgeard a box with $250,000 with the latter posting the moment on social media.
Uncle @danawhite just gave me $250,000 for my birthday.. pic.twitter.com/noH34JF8zY
— KYLE (@KyleForgeard) July 12, 2022
However, the moment drew criticism from many on social media, including former UFC fighters amid the recent issues with fighter pay involving the promotion.
So what does White have to say to all the blowback?
“Let me set this record straight,” White said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday (via MMA Junkie). “First of all, all these people on the internet – go f*ck yourselves. Ok. I spend my money however the f*ck I want to spend my money. Mind your own f*cking business.
“No. 2, if you look at what Kyle and the Nelk Boys have done as far as how they’re handling and a lot of other things that they’ve done, those kids have never asked me for anything, ever. They’ve never asked me for anything, and they couldn’t be better people. Kyle has done so many things for me. Believe me, the $250,000 that I gave him for his birthday, it does not cover the amount of things that kid has done for me.”
Dana White: Narrative Driven By MMA Media
White has hit back at those complaining about fighter pay a number of times over recent years.
And as far as this recent criticism goes, the UFC head honcho believes it’s driven by members of the MMA media.
“A lot of this is driven by the scumbag MMA media,” White said. “So what happens is, they act like there’s this massive safe here at the UFC offices that says ‘fighter pay’ on it and I just go in there and grab whatever I want out of fighter pay. No, you f*cking pieces of sh*t. This is money that I have actually made over an entire career, and I will spend it however the f*ck I want.”
While White is right that however he spends his money is nobody’s business, the fact remains that fighter pay still remains a prominent issue in the sport.
