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UFC President Dana White Fires Back At Meryl Streep Over Golden Globes Speech, Calls Her An ‘Uppity, 80-Year-Old Lady’

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 13:59 PST, Jan 11, 2017

UFC President Dana White is firing back at actress Meryl Streep for comments she made during her Golden Globes speech as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Streep used her speech to call out Donald Trump on his immigration policies, but she also took the opportunity to take a dig at sports, specifically football and mixed martial arts.

“So Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners,” Streep said. “And if we kick them all out you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.”

Streep’s comments didn’t sit well with White, who spoke to TMZ Sports about her “uneducated” remarks, calling her an “uppity 80-year-old lady.”

“It’s not going to be everybody’s thing, and the last thing I expect is for an uppity 80-year-old lady to be in our demographic and love mixed martial arts,” White said.

“Of course it’s an art,” Dana added. “These fighters, these men and women, are so talented. They train their whole lives to be the best in the world. To say something stupid like that is like saying, ‘She’s not a talented actress,’ which she is. She’s a very talented actress.”

Bellator MMA President Scott Coker also wasn’t pleased when Streep called out MMA fighters. He shared a letter he wrote to Meryl on Twitter, inviting her to attend an event and see for herself that mixed martial arts is truly an art. You can read his letter below.

“Meryl,

I’m a lifelong fan of your work but also a lifelong martial artist who happens to promote mixed martial arts around the world.

The global sport of mixed martial arts celebrates male and female athletes from all around the world who work years tirelessly honing their craft and – yes- art. They come from every country and every walk of life. We at Bellator support them and honor their skill.

Please be my guest at the LA Forum on January 21st and you will see that Mixed Martial Arts is truly artistic – which will feature fighters from all over the world competing at a world class level.

Scott Coker

President Bellator MMA”

Many wonder if Streep took a shot at MMA because of Dana White’s relationship with President-elect Donald Trump. According to MMA Fighting, White has long been a supporter of Trump, and even spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention in July.

“I think that sense of loyalty and commitment will translate into how he will run this country,” White said at the time. “And let’s be honest folks, we need somebody who believes in this country, we need somebody who’s proud of this country and who will fight for this country.”

Dana added, “Let me tell you something, I’ve been in the fight business my whole life. I know fighters. Ladies and gentleman, Donald Trump is a fighter and I know he will fight for this country.”

According to ESPN, Streep was honored during the Golden Globes with the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. She was chosen for the award for her “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”

What do you think about Meryl Streep’s comments about MMA? Do you agree with Dana White’s response? Leave your comments below.

[Featured Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

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