On Tuesday, Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president, announced that it had chosen Bud Light as its sponsor for the next six years with a $100 million deal.

In a statement, White said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC’s original beer sponsors more than 15 years ago. I’m proud to announce we are back in business together.” 

“There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for,” White explained. “I’m looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.”

Conservative fans immediately ridiculed White for giving Bud Light a platform. Many labeled him a “sellout” and called for a boycott of UFC events.

When asked about the controversy, White called protesting fans “dummies,” “a——-” and “f—ing stupid” for their opposition.

He scoffed at the fans who called the deal “all about money.” He noted that “of course” all sponsorship deals are “about money.”

“Everybody on every side of this deal that was involved — other beer companies and everything else — absolutely, positively knows that this was not about money for me,” White said. “We were going to end up with money no matter who we ended up with.”

White went on to reiterate that he signed the deal with Anheuser-Busch because the company’s “values” align with his own.

He noted that Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have given millions to families of fallen police officers and soldiers and are huge supporters of American farmers. He claimed they have done more for these issues than any other beer brand.

“I saw some other f—ing a—— today saying, ‘Oh, it sounds like they wrote him a script on what to say.’ Nobody writes me a script,” White said. “Nobody tells me what to say. Ever.”

Anheuser-Busch has also supported LGBTQ organizations, which has generated trouble for them with conservative customers.

Bud Light found itself in the center of the culture wars after they sent trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney a personalized beer can.

Since then, Bud Light has lost its title as the number one beer in America, and sales have fallen over 25% from a boycott.

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Article by Baila Eve Zisman

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