LAS VEGAS – UFC has ended its ban on fighters bringing flags into the octagon, CEO Dana White confirmed following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 229 event.
After the promotion stopped allowing fighters to carry flags on broadcasts on the heels of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, it was extremely noticeable when Joe Pyfer daunted the United States flag following his second-round submission of Abdul Razak Alhassan at the UFC Apex.
White was asked about the situation at the post-fight press conference, and said the recent Noche UFC event was a turning point for him to overrule the policy.
“Flags are back,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I was on vacation during the Mexican Independence Day, and the no flag thing drove me crazy. So I was like, ‘Yeah, f*ck that. We’re bringing flags back.’ It drove me crazy.”
White said he initially didn’t think the flag ban was a big issue, and it wasn’t something he was overwhelmingly against. As time wore on, however, he disliked what was happening, and now the fighters are free to represent their respective countries.
“There’s a lot of things that go on in a company this big,” White said. “You can’t micromanage everything. Sometimes things are done for the intentions of the right reasons, or whatever. Everybody in this room knows the way that I feel about a lot of things. Basically, ‘I don’t give a f*ck,’ is the answer to most things.
“Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive about everything. When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.
