What was supposed to be a big night of speeches, media buzz, and political mingling at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner got messy real fast. Gunshots near the gathering sparked panic, security rushed in, and people scrambled to protect themselves. It served as a stark reminder that even the most high-profile events can derail in an seconds.

So, it was no surprise that it the attack received some firm criticism on social media.

Ali Abdelaziz, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s longtime manager, did not mince words while reacting to the reported attack on Donald Trump. He wasn’t talking politics or throwing around dramatic words; he straight up called it what he believes it was: betrayal.

“Anyone who tries to assassinate the President of the United States is betraying their own country,” he wrote on X. “This kind of violence is unacceptable and has to stop.”

That’s what made his reaction hit different. In a sport where violence is inevitable, Ali Abdelaziz emphasized on the very difference between fighting inside competition and violence intended to shake up a country. There was no sugarcoating around it, nor overexplaining or an attempt to make it sound prettier. To him, it was simple: this was an attack against America.

The timing made it even heavier. Just hours before the shooting, Dana White and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had confirmed that the UFC’s June 14 White House card was officially moving forward after permit concerns were resolved.

The event is already planned to bring the president, federal agencies, and tens of thousands of fans together in unprecedented security. Security isn’t being taken lightly either, as UFC Freedom 250 has apparently received a SEAR 1 rating, which is the greatest level of federal security possible. That is the same level of security that is often reserved for major events such as the Super Bowl.

After what happened in Washington, Ali Abdelaziz’s words suddenly feel like a warning and a reality check—because when politics, spectacle, and national attention mix, the stakes become far bigger than sport. And while he and many others were clearly shaken by what happened in DC, Dana White made a comment that, to be honest, seemed tone-deaf to say the least. At a time when most reactions were serious and concerned, what he said just seemed way off the mark.

Dana White claims the Correspondents’ Dinner shooting was an “awesome” experience

That contrast is what made Dana White‘s reply stand out so much. While many were focused on the danger, the UFC CEO seemed captivated by the chaos itself. Describing the moment armed officers rushed in, tables flipped, and panic spread through the room, White’s takeaway was startlingly simple—he thought it was “f—— awesome.”

“Inside, they started up,” he said. “All of a sudden it just started getting noisy, tables getting flipped over, guys running in with guns, and they were screaming, ‘Get down.’ I didn’t get down.

“It was f—— awesome. I literally took every minute of it in, and it was a pretty crazy unique experience.”

That was the line that changed everything. Few people would have noticed if Dana White had just talked about the surreal nature of the situation or praised the speed of security forces. Instead, his remarks sounded as if he saw a terrifying real-world security scare through the same prism he uses to market a fight: spectacle, adrenaline, and excitement.

That’s why the backlash was so quick. With the UFC preparing for its massive White House event under extremely tight government security, Dana White calling a shooting scare “awesome” came across as outright bizarre and out of touch. At that point, it doesn’t sound brave or hype; it just sounds like a serious lack of perspective.