Dana White, media get in COVID argument during press conference (Video)

Dana White, media get in COVID argument during a press conference.

UFC president Dana White got into a heated debate with the media following UFC Vegas 46 regarding his treatment of COVID-19 with the controversial drug Ivermectin, along with monoclonal antibodies and other medications.

After an eventful night at UFC Vegas 46, White sat down to answer questions from media members as the UFC’s calendar year kicks off. The press conference began without issue with reporters asking White about various trending topics in the sport.

But, things took a drastic turn when an MMA Weekly reporter asked White about his COVID treatment, and calls for commentator Joe Rogan to be canceled due to alleged COVID disinformation. White brought up monoclonal antibodies and Ivermectin as allegedly successful methods to treat the disease.

“I made one phone call and was able to get it done,” White said during the UFC Vegas 46 post-fight presser. “You can’t get monoclonal antibodies to save your life now. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve seen in my life. [Joe Rogan]’s been talking about it, I’ve been talking about it. These aren’t experimental drugs, a guy won a Nobel peace prize for it. I bet I can get some f**king pain pills before I get monoclonal antibodies.”

Yahoo Sports reporter Kevin Iole then asked White “are you a doctor?” to which White replied:

“No, but I took them and they worked for me, so why shouldn’t I be able to take them again?”

Dana White recently tested positive and quickly recovered from COVID-19

Ivermectin has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and has been used to treat parasitic diseases, but has been most commonly used to treat animals. While White, Rogan, and others have praised the use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment, it isn’t listed as a recommended treatment by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the disease.

Monoclonal antibodies are constructed in lab settings to substitute the body’s antibodies and can strengthen the immune system.

White and the media have had a complicated relationship for years, but it’s been a while since he’s gotten into a tense argument with a reporter at a press conference. It’s unclear if the topic will resurface at a future press conference and what could result from it.