UFC President Dana White did an interview with the Calgary Sun while promoting the UFC’s upcoming Vancouver card. It was mostly basic stuff, but when he was asked about fighting in hockey, he went off on a tangent about soccer. White is no stranger to being outspoken or having controversial opinions, but this is one of the dumber, more agro things he’s ever said on record.

Q: As you know, we love our hockey here. And it remains the only other pro sport that allows fighting. Curious as to your thoughts on fighting in hockey?

A: I’m not a big hockey fan. But I respect how talented you have to be to play hockey. Soccer? That’s a whole other ball. Can’t stand soccer. It’s the least-talented sport on Earth. There’s a reason three-year-olds can play soccer. When you’re playing a game when the net is that big and the score is 3-1 (and that’s a blowout) are you kidding me? You know how untalented you have to be to score three times when the net is that big? Now back to hockey. You have guys on skates with crooked sticks and you have to hit a puck into a net that’s the same size as the goalie. And at any time someone could take your head right off your shoulders and it’s perfectly legal. That’s a real sport that takes real talent, speed and all the things you need to be a real athlete. Now fighting is a part of hockey and has been since Day 1. It’s part of the game. It is what it is. I think we live in a world now where everything has been so pussy-fied. When I grew up we didn’t wear helmets when we rode our bikes. We didn’t have car seats. We didn’t have all this stuff. Now things are safer and we should be safer but let’s not go overboard. Fighting’s a part of hockey. Period.

I’d be interested to see how some of his Brazilian fighters feel about these comments. What’s the point of slamming the most popular sport in the world? Especially when your main goal is world domination? And while I agree with the overall theme of the pussification of America, I don’t know if I would lump car seats in with whatever he was talking about.

[Calgary Sun, Getty]