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Dana White Faces Blowback Over "Awesome" Reaction to Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting

Rebukes from top fighters now cloud the UFC’s June 14 showcase at the White House.

Overview

  • The gunfire at the Washington Hilton during Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner left a Secret Service agent wounded and ended with 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen in custody.
  • Prosecutors have charged Allen with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to reports citing federal filings.
  • Dana White, who attended the dinner, told USA Today the chaos was “f—ing awesome,” and video from the ballroom showed him staying calm as alarms sounded.
  • Former UFC fighter Matt Brown condemned the remark as insensitive and said there is “not a single thing awesome” about a shooting, while current star Sean Strickland called White a “sociopath.”
  • The backlash is intensifying scrutiny of security and optics as the UFC readies a June 14 fight card on the White House South Lawn that underscores the promotion’s close relationship with the president.