KEY POINTS:
- Meryl Streep hasn't just picked a war with the next American presiden, she's also taking on the UFC.
Meryl Streep hasn't just picked a war with the next American president, she's also taking on the UFC.
UFC president Dana White has hit back and comments made by award-winning actress against the mixed martial arts organisation during yesterday's Golden Globes Awards.
Streep accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the ceremony for 'outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment' and took the opportunity to comment on American President Elect Donald Trump, which included a dig at MMA and American football.
"Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick them all out you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts (MMA), which are not the arts," Streep said.
Dana White told TMZ that he didn't expect Streep to be a MMA fan.
"It's not going to be everybody's thing and the last thing in the world I expect is an uppity, 80-year old lady [Streep is 67] to be in our demographic and love mixed martial arts," White said.
"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe she did, I'm not sure. I mean (UFC owner) Ari Emanuel is definitely Hollywood and he makes movies and TV shows and wasn't a Trump supporter either, but I don't know," he added.
"If you really look at who follows the UFC and is into mixed martial arts, it's everybody. I don't expect an 80-year old woman to be a big fan of mixed martial arts and listen, everybody's into whatever (they're into). I'm not a big fan of golf. It doesn't mean people should stop watching it. If you don't like it, change the channel."
White also disagreed with Streep's comments that MMA wasn't an art.
"Of course it's an art. I mean these fighters, the men and women are so talented, they train their whole lives to become the best in the world and the people who get into the UFC are the elite of the elite," he told TMZ.
"To say something stupid like that is like saying she's not a talented actress, which she is. She's a very talented actress."
MMA is facing an interesting future with France becoming the first nation to effectively ban the sport.
Former mixed martial arts champion Gael Grimaud is taking legal action against a ban hitting the sport in France.
New combat sports guidelines recently pushed forward by France's sports ministry stipulating that fighters can't be hit while on the ground.
The new decree also states that fights need to be organised in a ring with no mention of MMA cages.
Former mixed martial arts champion Gael Grimaud, who is taking legal action against a the ban, says the new regulations aimed at improving security are in reality imposing a blanket ban on MMA.