Winnipeg, MB — UFC President and CEO Dana White spoke publicly for the first time on Sunday about his involvement in the treatment and recovery of Tumbler Ridge, B.C. shooting victim Maya Gebala.
Gebala, 11, was shot in the head and neck as part of a shooting spree on February 10, 2026 that left eight dead and six others wounded across two crime scenes including a local school in the small British Columbia town. The shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had previously been apprehended under the Mental Health Act and had weapons seized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which were later returned.
Van Rootselaar was found dead at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Gebala’s mother, Cia Edmonds, previously revealed that the UFC had reached out to the family, with White in particular offering assistance. Maya’s name has also been featured on the octagon itself at UFC events for months now.
White told Cageside Press during Saturday’s UFC Winnipeg post-fight press conference that he got involved the same way many who have donated to Gebala’s recovery have. “I saw it on the news, and I reached out to the family. That was it.”
“I would like to help in any way that I can. Obviously, the situation that she’s in, when you’re a parent, you want the best possible care,” White added. Edmonds has at time been critical of the care her daughter has received in B.C., with doctors originally telling her that Maya would not survive the night.
White declined to get into any criticism.
“They felt- I don’t want to sh*t on anybody, it’s not really my place to talk about this publicly, but they wanted to give their daughter the best chance they could and there’s some great places in L.A., there’s a great place in Houston, there’s a great place in Seattle,” he stated. “So we’re still sort of working through all that. It’s not as easy as it sounds, ‘oh some guy with money jumps in and everything just happens.’ It’s not that easy. You would be f*cking disgusted to know how hard it really is. So me and my team have been working on it.”
That includes UFC Senior VP of Communications Lenee Breckenridge, and UFC Chief Business Office Hunter Campbell.
“So yeah, it’s still a work in progress, but I’m going to do my best,” promised White.
Gebala has survived being shot and overcome infection, but her recovery will almost certainly be a lengthy process no matter where it occurs. With the kind of resources White has, she no doubt has a much better chance at the best outcome possible with the UFC exec in her corner.
