After assisting in the release of a US ballerina from a Russian prison, Dana White has issued his first public statement.
Ksenia Karelina went public when she was arrested and thrown into a Russian jail for treason. Karelina was found guilty of the crime after she allegedly donated money to a charity that later went on to fund war equipment for Ukraine.
Karelina was set to serve 12 years in prison before Dana White, with the aid of US President Donald Trump, helped the ballerina get released.
For the first time since helping the 34-year-old dancer, White has shared further details on how it all unfolded.
“So, when we had the fight in Australia, in Sydney,” White said. “I got a call from a friend of mine [who] asked if he could come by my hotel room and talk to me. I said, ‘Of course.'”
“He came by and told me the story and then asked if I would go to the president. I guess they had been working for like a year with the old administration, trying to get released and couldn’t get it done.
“So, they asked if I could talk to Trump. So, I said, ‘Of course.’ I called him and he said, ‘Yeah, let me see what I can do.’ And literally in three weeks, he had her out.”
Related: Donald Trump helps Dana White get US ballerina released from Russian prison
White continued, revealing a conversation he had with Karelina, and later thanked the US and Russian presidents for their support.
“She facetimed me two days ago. What an incredible, sweet, positive human being she is.”
“Yeah, President Trump and [Vladimir] Putin, give them both credit for getting her out… I didn’t do anything but make a call.”
According to reports, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin came to an agreement on a prison swap. The exchange saw Ksenia Karelina head back to the United States, with an accused smuggler going back to Russia.
Listen to what Dana White had to say about the ballerina’s release from prison below.
