Defiant Dana Won’t Die Lying Down: ‘It’s Gonna Be A Closed Casket’

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: UFC President and CEO Dana White speaks during a post fight press conference during UFC Fight Night: Adesanya v Pyfer at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images) | Getty Images

UFC CEO Dana White turned a few heads with his comments about the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting.

White was attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month inside the ballroom at Washington Hilton when a 31-year-old schoolteacher charged through security and opened fire, striking a Secret Service agent. Amidst the chaos, White could be seen calmly looking around and soaking in the chaotic experience, which he described as he described as “awesome.”

White has received some backlash for his choice of words, but the UFC head honcho isn’t backing down. While talking to Jim Rome on Thursday, White elaborated further on his decision-making process in a potential mass shooting scenario … and also used the word “amazing” to describe the the

“There’s two things I was thinking in my head,” White explained to . “First of all, I want to see what’s going on, I’m taking this in. If somebody’s in there with a gun, they’re not going to shoot me in the back like a fish in a barrel. I got bad news for my family, it’s gonna be a closed casket. I’m getting shot in the face! That’s how that’s gonna end. I’m not laying on the floor waiting for somebody to shoot me. I sat up, took it all in, and it was an amazing, hopefully one-of-one experience. Nobody got hurt, it was incredible.”