Dana White didn’t see the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, as he was busy with an edition of Dana White’s Contender Series.
But the UFC president seemingly had his mind made up regarding how the debate would go, preemptively accusing the debate’s moderators, ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis, of being in the tank for Harris.
“I haven’t seen it, but I’ll tell you this: he called me an hour before the debate,” White said of his close friend, Trump, in a post-show press conference. “First of all, this is the second time he has to debate. He already did a debate. They didn’t like how the debate turned out so they want to kick [President Joe Biden] out. He’s unfit to run, yet he’s still the president of the United States. Now they bring in somebody who wasn’t elected to actually be in there.
“They’ll only do it on ABC. It was three-to-one tonight. He was facing three to one. So I don’t know how it went or what happened, but I know he took it seriously. He said, ‘I look at this like a heavyweight fight. I’m not taking anyone lightly.'”
Dana White is asked if he saw any of the Trump/Harris debate tonight. pic.twitter.com/zlnTmLlknP
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 11, 2024
White’s comments are hardly surprising, as the idea of ABC’s moderators teaming up with Harris against Trump was already a right wing talking point by the time the debate had finished. The accusation was, however, notable considering that Disney is currently UFC’s lone media rights partner, with the MMA promotion occasionally airing fight cards on ABC airwaves.
As for the debate itself, White was seemingly unaware of the viral moment in which Trump claimed, “they’re eating the dogs… they’re eating the cats” in reference to Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio (for what it’s worth, none of these claims have been verified). After MMA journalist Kevin Iole referenced the line, White appeared to be confused.
“Oh. OK,” White replied. “So what’s that mean?”
“Ask him,” Iole responded.
Asked if he gave Trump any advice regarding the debate, White said he’ll keep that between himself and the Republican nominee.
[UFC]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.