UFC legend Matt Brown criticized Dana White for calling the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner 'awesome.' The incident involved an attacker targeting President Trump, resulting in a police officer being shot.
Key points
Matt Brown criticized Dana White's comments on the shooting
Dana White called the shooting experience 'awesome'
The attacker targeted President Trump during the event
Cole Allen was arrested and charged with attempted assassination
A police officer was shot but saved by a bulletproof vest
Mentioned in this story
Matt BrownDana WhiteDonald TrumpMelania TrumpJD VanceCole Allen
White, a friend of US president Donald Trump, was present for the shooting on Saturday, when an attacker burst past security and opened fire, allegedly targeting Mr Trump.
Dana White (left) at a UFC event with president Donald Trump (right) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (AFP/Getty)
Dana White (left) at a UFC event with president Donald Trump (right) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (AFP/Getty)
White, 56, told USA Today: āIt started to get noisy. Tables started getting flipped over, guys running with guns and they were screaming āget down!ā I didnāt get down. It was f***ing awesome, and I literally took every minute of it in. It was a pretty crazy, unique experience. We were sitting right in front of the table, right in front of where the president was. Nobody got tackled but guys came in looking for shooters, I thought the shooter was over by us or something.ā
Q&A
What did Dana White say about the shooting at the Correspondents' Dinner?
Dana White described the experience as 'awesome,' which has drawn criticism from UFC legend Matt Brown.
Who was targeted during the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?
The shooter allegedly targeted President Trump, who was present at the event along with other officials.
What charges were filed against the suspect of the Correspondents' Dinner shooting?
Cole Allen, the alleged suspect, was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump.
What happened to the police officer during the shooting at the event?
A police officer was shot but survived due to their bulletproof vest.
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And Brown, who was once present for a fatal shooting, has hit out at Whiteās response to events.
āIām absolutely flabbergasted,ā Brown told MMA Fighting. āIt took me completely blindsided when he came out, when I saw the short little clip of him saying that was āawesomeā. I think I have a little bit more of a justification in criticising that, being that Iāve been in a mass shooting before.ā
In 2004, Brown attended a concert in Columbus, Ohio, staged by the band Damageplan. There, the groupās guitarist Darrell Abbott was murdered by assailant Nathan Gale, who killed three other peopleĀ before being shot dead by police. Brown, now 45, was standing near the stage throughout and witnessed the proceedings in their entirety.
āIāve been there when there was a shooting going on, which most people probably havenāt,ā Brown continued. āIt is not āawesomeā in any sense of the word. It is not f***ing cool one bit. For [White] to say that, I did not appreciate that. Not that my opinion matters, whether I appreciate it, but thereās people whose lives are at risk there.
White before the 2026 White House Correspondentsā Dinner (Getty)
White before the 2026 White House Correspondentsā Dinner (Getty)
āThat really blows my mind that someone would say that s*** like that was āawesomeā. A dude got shot; maybe he survived, but got shot. Thatās a traumatic experience for him. Thereās not a single f***ing thing awesome about that. People donāt need to be going around shooting people and thereās nothing cool about that. I donāt know why anyone would say that was awesome. Thatās the weirdest, most oddball thing Iāve ever heard anybody say.
āI donāt really bring [my experience] up. Itās not something I want to go around preaching about, but it is something that happened to me, so Iām not ashamed or awkward about it. It happened, and you live through it, but I canāt wrap my head around why you would even say that.
āIām not one to criticize what people say a lot of times. Dana says a lot of stuff, I think, that we could all have opinions about. Thatās what he does very well. He gets a rise out of people, gets opinions, gets people talking. We talk about what he says all the time, but Iām not very critical of it. Iām like: āHeās promoting a fight, what do you expect?ā Heās promoting two people going in a cage and [trying] to beat each other up in front of a bunch of drunk fans. What do you expect from the guy?
The retired Matt Brown (left) remains a UFC fan-favourite (Getty)
The retired Matt Brown (left) remains a UFC fan-favourite (Getty)
āBut that one, I donāt have a lot of respect for that. You canāt say that. It was very tone-deaf. You just donāt say that. You can say anything, just about, except for that. Thereās a million simple things to say. You donāt say that. Even if you somehow oddly feel that, itās just not what you say.ā
On 14 June, the UFC will stage an unprecedented fight card at the White House. The Octagon is expected to be erected on the South Lawn, as the UFC helps Mr Trump celebrate 250 years of the US āĀ and the presidentās 80th birthday, which is that day.
