Chael Sonnen on criticism toward Dana White: He “can never win”

Chael Sonnen recognizes that the coronavirus pandemic is a serious issue, but he’s also having a hard time wrapping his head around the criticism directed at UFC President Dana White.

While most other sports leagues — and many MMA promotions — have closed up shop to minimize the spread of of the virus, White has been defiantly attempting to promote events as normal in the early weeks of this crisis.

White’s strategy has generated a ton of blowback from fans and media alike.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sonnen shared his belief that White is in a position where he “can never win.”

“I personally don’t prescribe to ‘everything stops in its tracks,’ and it does appear that those are your only two choices right now, right? You’ve got a green light and you got a red light,” Sonnen said of the predicament White is in (transcript via Bloody Elbow). “Look, there’s ways to do things that are safe. There’s ways to do things where you’re listening to the experts and you’re in full compliance. If you can pull that off and move forward? I mean, people need to make a living. People need to have a job, have something to do, have their goals, and move forward. I’m not going to stop them, but I’m not going to overly look away, man. We’re dealing with something serious.”

Dana White is currently striving to find a location for UFC 249, which was originally slated to go down in Brooklyn. As governments have continued to impose strict bans on public gatherings and travel, however, his list of options has gotten quite small.

Chael Sonnen, however, recently showed that it can be done, having promoted one of his Submission Underground events over the weekend.

What do you think of the criticism Dana White is receiving?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/31/2020.