UFC president Dana White is proud of his Boston roots. He openly cheers for the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins on Twitter, and he was downright giddy when he announced the UFC would return to Boston on Aug. 17. The Boston Marathon bombing affected him, and he and the UFC responded to the tragedy.
White called the act cowardly:
“How cowardly and disgusting that these people, who lived in the city as long as they did, did that. To put the bag right next to kids, I don’t even like talking about it. It’s just disgusting.
He told the Boston Globe that he and the Fertitta brothers donated personally to the One Fund, which will help the people most affected by the bombings. The UFC and Fox also gave money.
The UFC also did something on a smaller scale that still gave some smiles to Boston UFC fans. The days after UFC 159, they conducted their #Hunt4UFC in Boston. Usually, the UFC only does their Twitter-based scavenger hunt in fight cities. White tweeted locations where Bostonians could find UFC gear. On Monday, Red Sox player and friend of the UFC Shane Victorino participated.
Dana White ✔ @danawhite
Be near Fenway in 1 hr RT @ShaneVictorino: Signing some @RedSox gear for the next #Hunt4UFC. Get ready Boston!!! pic.twitter.com/XmmcIIDbF9
White and the UFC's actions won't erase what happened to Boston, but it can help some of its citizens on the way to recovery.