LAS VEGAS (LifeSiteNews) — The president of the American mixed martial arts promotion company Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Saturday promoted the blockbuster new film Sound of Freedom, urging company executives to follow his lead and give out free movie tickets to employees who want to see it in theaters.
The Angel Studios film, which boasts a 76 percent critic score and a 100 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, tells the true story of former agent Tim Ballard, who quit his role with the federal government to rescue a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. He ultimately saved 123 people, 55 of whom were children, from one mission alone.
Ballard and his organization, Operation Underground Railroad, have subsequently rescued thousands of children worldwide.
In a short video posted to Twitter on July 8, UFC president Dana White spoke about the movie and the “horrific issue” it exposes.
“There’s a new movie out called the Sound of Freedom and it’s about human trafficking. More importantly, the trafficking of children,” the 53-year-old husband and father said. “This is a disgusting, horrific issue that’s happening all around the world and it’s not getting better, it’s getting worse.”
YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE @SOFMovie2023 pic.twitter.com/vQ1ThcqW5d
— danawhite (@danawhite) July 9, 2023
White, a proponent of former U.S. President Donald Trump and a vocal opponent of COVID-19 jab mandates, added that he planned “to give any of my UFC employees that want to see this movie free tickets.”
“I would like to encourage other executives to do the same at their company,” he said.
READ: Pro-Trump UFC president Dana White opposes mandates for fighters: ‘This is a free country’
In the short video posted to Twitter, White included commentary from Mel Gibson, who directed and produced the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ starring Catholic actor Jim Caviezel. Caviezel also played the lead role in Sound of Freedom.
“One of the most disturbing problems in our world today is human trafficking, and particularly the trafficking of children,” Gibson said. “Now, the first step in eradicating this crime is awareness. Go see Sound of Freedom.”
Sound of Freedom became the number one film in America when it hit theaters on July 4, and shattered expectations by bringing in an estimated $40 million at the box office in its opening week. It also snagged an A+ rating from CinemaScore.
The success of the film came despite an effort by outlets, including The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, to attack the film as linked to the fringe online group known as “QAnon.”
Tickets on sale now! 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 begins in theaters July 4th. Based on the true story of a former US government agent who quits his job to devote his life to rescuing children.
— Angel Studios (@AngelStudiosInc) June 14, 2023
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time the president of the UFC has garnered applause from the right for taking a stance on a matter of political importance.
In November 2021, White stated unequivocally that he would not require his fighters to get the experimental COVID-19 shot, LifeSiteNews reported at the time.
“We’re not forcing people to get vaccinated. I believe as an American, that’s your choice if you want to get vaccinated,” he said.
READ: Pro-Trump UFC president Dana White opposes mandates for fighters: ‘This is a free country’
White had already expressed his perspective on the issue to Yahoo News months earlier, telling the outlet “I would never tell another human being what to do.”
“If you want to get vaccinated, that’s up to you. That’s your choice,” he said. “You’re never gonna hear me say I’m gonna force people to get vaccinated. Never gonna happen.”