Throwback: Dana White's statement on Ronda Rousey's controversial Sandy Hook school shooting tweet - "People need to f***ing calm down"
Dana White assertively addressed 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey's opinion regarding the Sandy Hook massacre back in the day. The then-UFC president (now-UFC CEO and president) lent his support to Rousey.
On Dec. 14, 2012, a 20-year-old man named Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother Nancy Lanza at their home. Lanza then killed 26 people (20 children and six adults) and injured two at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S.A., before shooting and killing himself. The 28 deaths marked the deadliest mass shooting in Connecticut history.
Around that time, Rousey was set to make history by competing in the UFC's first-ever women's MMA fight at UFC 157 (Feb. 2013). In Jan. 2013, Rousey took to X (then known as Twitter) and retweeted a video of a conspiracy theory regarding the Sandy Hook incident.
An Olympic bronze medalist judoka, the American was already a revered sportsperson and an MMA star. On that note, a few critics lambasted Rousey for supporting conspiracy theories concerning the sensitive issue.
During a media scrum following the 'UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz' event announcement press conference in Jan. 2013, Dana White was asked about Ronda Rousey's social media actions. White responded by stating:
"My opinion is she has an opinion. You know what I mean? Everybody has an opinion. She didn't come out and say that the thing was a f**king hoax and all this sh**. She tweeted something and said, 'Look at this story.' You know? People are f**king pu**ies; is the problem. That's the big ... No, I didn't call her, didn't talk to her at all. Every human being is going to have an opinion. She didn't write the f**king story saying that the Sandy Hook thing was a hoax."
Moreover, White explained that Rousey merely tweeted a video that had 20 million views, which meant that 20 million other people had also watched it. White opined that her tweet wasn't like some of the other negative ones about the tragedy.
The UFC boss highlighted that there are many conspiracy theorists out there. He deemed the video "goofy" and the video's creator "goofier than the video." White implied that he usually isn't deceived by such people but many others are. Defending Rousey, White said:
"But there's lots of people that buy into that sh** and believe that stuff. And as a human being, she can have an opinion. She didn't even give her opinion. She just tweeted it. So, people need to f**king calm down. If that's the thing you're most concerned in your life, holy sh**, man. You need to get a life, you know."
Watch White discuss the topic below (6:49-8:21):
Ronda Rousey apology: 'Rowdy' apologizes and addresses backlash over Sandy Hook debacle
The Sandy Hook shooting precipitated a number of conspiracy theories, particularly in America. A prominent theory is that it was a plot by certain persons/ groups in the U.S. government to unfairly enforce stricter gun laws in the nation.
Over the years, Ronda Rousey has often been criticized, with detractors questioning why she refused to address her 2013 remarks regarding the shooting.
The former UFC women's bantamweight champion and ex-WWE champion has put forth a tweet this month (Aug. 2024), featuring a pair of images that comprise her written apology for the remarks. The legendary fighter and talented writer seemed to suggest that she deserved to be criticized for her opinion.
'Rowdy' indicated that she'd been drafting an apology for years, but feared worsening the situation, which is why it took her around 11 years to publicly unravel her apology.