Reporter Asks Dana White 'Are You A Doctor?' During Heated Covid-19 Debate

A UFC press conference descended into debate when a reporter plucked up the courage to ask Dana White whether he was a qualified doctor during a heated discussion about Covid-19.

Being the president of a major sporting body, White has had to work tirelessly to comply with regulations to ensure the safety of his athletes during the entire pandemic.

And having recently recovered from Covid himself, White was asked about advice he received from his good friend and UFC employee Joe Rogan regarding treatments for the virus.

In particular, he was pressed on the recent news story that 270 doctors had come together and penned an open letter to Spotify expressing their concerns regarding potential spread of coronavirus misinformation on UFC commentator Rogan's popular podcast.

"Well, how about this, ever since I came out and said what I did, it's almost impossible to get monoclonal antibodies. They're making it so you can't get them. Medicine that absolutely works, they're keeping from us," White told reporters.

"I don't want to get too political and start getting into all this s**t, but ivermectin and monoclonal antibodies have been around for a long time. Now all of a sudden you can't dig them up to save your life, the doctors won't give them to you.

"Even when I did it here in Vegas, when I had [Covid-19] right before Christmas, I made one phone call and I was able to get it done. And that's not some rich famous guy s**t - anybody could've called and got it back then.

"Now Rogan's been talking about it and I went crazy talking about it, you can't get those things to save your life now, literally.

"It's disgusting [that you can't discuss other treatment options]. It's one of the craziest things I've ever witnessed in my life. And we're not talking about experimental drugs or things - this stuff has been around. Ivermectin, the guy won a Nobel Peace Prize."

White was then interrupted when a voice emerged from the crowd, asking: "Are you a doctor? Are you a doctor? I just asked a question, are you a doctor?"

The UFC boss appeared to take exception to the question, wasting no time in firing right back.

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"There you go, here he comes," White replied.

"No [I'm not a doctor], but I took them and they both worked for me, so why shouldn't I be able to take them again? Or other people?"

The journalist in the hot seat declined to answer.

"No, come on, dive in," White replied.

"You want to know what's scary? Bet I can get some f**king pain pills quicker than I can get monoclonal antibodies. Not maybe, that is a fact. They f**king hand out pain pills like they're tic tacs.

"Monoclonal antibodies and ivermectin isn't gonna do anything to you. Pain pills kill you, fact, and I'm not a doctor, but that's a fact."

With debate surrounding vaccines and treatments so prevalent at the moment, fans were intrigued to hear what White had to say.

As a result, video of the exchange has now racked up thousands of views in less than 24 hours since the UFC Vegas 46 post-event press conference.

Topics: joe rogan, press conference, UFC, Australia, MMA, Dana White, Covid-19, joe rogan, press conference, UFC, Australia, MMA, Dana White, Covid-19

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry