Bryce Mitchell, a UFC featherweight fighter, has caused a massive uproar after making controversial remarks about Adolf Hitler on his podcast, Arksanity. During the episode with former fighter Roli Delgado, Mitchell shockingly praised Hitler, calling him “a good guy” based on his personal research, distancing himself from what he described as “public education and indoctrination.” His comments, which also included offensive antisemitic and homophobic statements, quickly went viral and sparked widespread backlash.
On the podcast, Mitchell controversially stated, “I honestly think that Hitler was a good guy, based upon my own research, not my public education and indoctrination. I really do think that before Hitler got on meth, he was a guy to go fishing with.” He went on to justify Hitler’s actions by claiming he was “fighting for his people” and wanted a “pure nation,” a sentiment that has been met with overwhelming criticism.
Many in the MMA world have condemned Mitchell’s remarks. Notable figures like Ariel Helwani and Jason Hagholm expressed disgust, highlighting the dangerous implications of such statements. Despite the growing outcry, the UFC remained silent for some time, not releasing a public statement on the matter.
Dana White’s strong condemnation of Mitchell’s comments
After several hours of silence, Dana White finally addressed the situation, calling Mitchell’s comments “probably the worst” he’d ever heard. In a statement to the media, White expressed his disgust, stating, “We’ve obviously reached out to Bryce and when we read what he said and let him know what we feel about it, we are beyond disgusted.” However, when asked whether Mitchell would face any disciplinary action, White deflected, focusing instead on free speech. “That’s what everybody wants to hear about, punishment. It’s free speech, I don’t have to love it, you don’t have to love it… You know where I am with free speech. We’re disgusted by it.”
It appears that Mitchell will not face any formal punishment from the UFC. White emphasized that while the organization strongly disapproves of Mitchell’s statements, they would not take action against him for exercising his right to free speech.