UFC CEO Dana White said Sunday that he doesn’t support firing people celebrating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk‘s death, but thinks anyone doing so is a “disgusting human being.”

White said he is a “big believer” in free speech and one of the most important forms of speech to protect is “unfortunately” hate speech. He also said he hates cancel culture “on both sides,” citing the recent firings of people over comments they made following Kirk’s assassination.

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“I think you’re a disgusting human being if you’re celebrating the death of another human being, but people make mistakes, and people are gonna do dumb things. I don’t like trying to destroy people’s lives over doing something dumb,” White said on CBS’s 60 Minutes.

MSNBC fired analyst Matthew Dowd after he said one can’t expect “awful actions” not to happen after “saying these awful words” in reference to Kirk. American Airlines removed several pilots from service who were “caught celebrating” Kirk’s assassination, and Office Depot fired an employee who refused to print vigil posters of Kirk for a customer.

White is no stranger to advocating free speech. In January 2024, he said he doesn’t “f***ing tell any other human being what to say.” His comments came after Colby Covington, UFC star and former interim world champion, spoke out against USA Boxing’s new transgender policy, which he called “disgusting.”

Likewise, White stood by mixed martial arts fighter Bryce Mitchell in January after Mitchell defended Hitler and denied the Holocaust on a podcast. White called Mitchell’s comments “beyond disgusting,” but didn’t take disciplinary action since Mitchell has “free speech.” White added that anyone who hates Mitchell can watch him “get his a** whooped on global television.”

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White also described the UFC’s fanbase as “definitely, unapologetically masculine,” laughing off the idea that it could lead to “toxic masculinity.” He asked 60 Minutes‘s Jon Wertheim what the term “toxic masculinity” means and if anyone can be “too masculine.” White concluded that the answer to the latter question is “hell no!”

The UFC will host its first White House fight on July 4 next year, one of several major events being held to celebrate the United States’s 250th birthday. White said the fighters will “walk out of the Oval Office” to enter the octagon ring.