Dana White doesn’t believe in mandatory vaccination, and he won’t allow it to come to the UFC. At least that’s what he told assembled press in promotion of UFC 265, which incidentally lost a co-main event to COVID-19 in Amanda Nunes.
White told TSN: “I would never tell another human being what to do with their body. If you want to get vaccinated, that’s up to you. That’s your choice. You’re never going to hear me say I’m going to force people to get vaccinated. Never gonna happen.”
Dana White: Mandatory Vaccination “never gonna happen” in the UFC
Dana White was proud to respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing the purpose-built Fight Island facility in Abu Dhabi. The UFC was able to return to action long before the rest of the sporting world, particularly in the USA where COVID ran rampant through the country.
The Delta variant is currently ripping through the US, including New York City, which means that many companies are introducing mandatory vaccination requirements. In New York, NYC mayor Bill de Blasio is set to introduce an executive order requiring proof of vaccination for a variety of activities where people gather en masse. This would likely affect the UFC’s plans to host an event at Madison Square Garden.
“I think a lot of people are doing that, they’re telling you in New York you can’t go into a restaurant or a gym unless you’re vaccinated and can prove it and things like that.
Some people are getting fired if they don’t get vaccinated. That’s not going to happen here. If you want to get vaccinated, get vaccinated. If you don’t, that’s your decision, your body.”
Dana White wants to host UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden, but this approach may jeopardize his plans. However, if any organization can react quickly, it’s the UFC.
“As this stuff starts to play out, I told you guys a million times, I’m going to go where I can run a normal event. I said that I would be first and I would do the first indoor sold out arena with no social distancing and no masks and none of that stuff.
We did it. We did it in Florida. We did it in Texas. We did it in Arizona. We did it in Vegas. We’re going to sell out again this weekend in Texas.
I wasn’t ready a year and a half ago. I’m ready for anything now. I don’t care what happens, how it goes, how these different states run their stuff, I don’t care anymore. I’m ready to roll. I have plans now.”
Do you think the UFC should introduce mandatory vaccinations to keep events running, or is Dana’s approach solid enough to work? Let us know in the comments.
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