Criticism of the UFC’s White House event continues to mount. UFC Freedom 250, set for June 14 at the White House South Lawn, has already faced public scrutiny from fighters including Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell. Adding to the chorus is UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, who recently shared his views on the promotion with USA Today. Gracie, a key figure in the UFC’s founding in 1993, claimed he won’t be watching the event. 

“Now the UFC guys, no disrespect,’’ Gracie said. “I admire every single one of them. Anybody who climbs in the ring to fight, to get beat up, that’s a hero. No, I’m not putting anybody down so that you’re very clear. I personally don’t watch the UFC anymore because I think it’s violence [is] unnecessary violence. That’s my point of view.

“… You’re taking the violence thing, and what’s happened is it’s going to be interesting. I mean, I find that really interesting. And I know they went their direction, but it’s not the direction it was intended to go.”

The UFC has been called violent before and faced sanctioning issues in most states for years. Surprisingly, though, there haven’t been any fatalities compared to other combat sports like boxing, where the numbers are very high. Whether Gracie, who co-founded the promotion with his brother Royce Gracie, intended it to go where it is today or not, the co-founder sold his share of the promotion in 1995.  

Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the promotion in 2001 and hired Dana White as a key executive. Today, they are set to host their biggest show at the White House, and it has heightened the criticism of the promotion and the event. Criticism of the UFC isn’t something new, however. 

In 1996, Senator John McCain famously called it “human cockfighting” and “barbaric,” lobbying all 50 U.S. governors to ban it. Meanwhile, the American Medical Association recommended bans. Major cable providers (like TWC, TCI) stopped airing UFC events, citing that it was too violent for children. And these things eventually forced the UFC to add rules to the promotion. 

Despite how far the UFC has come, Gracie’s comments come on the heels of the entire drama with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Strickland had claimed that some UFC higher-ups had informed him that he cannot attend this weekend’s UFC White House event because he had criticized Donald Trump and Israel. 

Still, he was planning to fly to Washington, D.C., with a bullhorn to stage a peaceful protest outside the White House. Even though Dana White has claimed Strickland isn’t banned, there are others who aren’t big fans of the promotion. 

UFC White House has detractors from inside the promotion

After Strickland had initially revealed that he was banned from the event, UFC bantamweight Bryce Mitchell took offense at it. In a press event on Wednesday, he claimed the government is “desecrating its role in society by entertaining sports.” He argued that the government shouldn’t get involved in sports because there is more room for corruption and claimed the government is already corrupt. 

Even the fighters who are expected to fight on Sunday’s card aren’t entirely happy. Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi, who faces Sean O’Malley, claimed he is excited about the event but wished he was allowed to give a nod to where he came from through his outfit. Meanwhile, long-time UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who will attend the event on Sunday, has repeatedly expressed his concerns over the event. 

Joe Rogan has also been critical of the promotion’s decision to stage championship fights outdoors, pointing to potential disruptions such as adverse weather, insects, and extreme heat. UFC star Brandon Royval is also not a fan. Royval stated that he has little interest in UFC Freedom 250 and even likened the spectacle to The Hunger Games.

On other fronts, the event was sued by the watchdog group, the Public Integrity Project, to stop it from unfolding. 

Having said that, it appears the UFC has as many critics as it has supporters. But all that doesn’t matter because the event is happening anyway. But what are your thoughts on the matter?