Coun. Doug Ford is standing behind an anti-bullying program that's ruffled some feathers within the Toronto District School Board.

A Toronto Star story published Sunday quoted several TDSB trustees, who expressed unease with the UFC Community Works Program, saying it promotes violence while providing free advertising to a commercial organization

On Sunday afternoon Ford, whose office had been touting the benefits of the program, called those claims ‘bogus'.

"I am all for anti-bullying, I am all for educating students about anti-bullying and I think this is a program about athletes, who the kids look up to and admire, speaking out against bullying," he told CP24. "It is not about promoting the UFC by any means. This is about anti-bullying."

The UFC Community Works Program launched in April with a $129,000 donation to the Cabbagetown Youth Centre.

According to the UFC's official website, the program seeks to promote discipline and hard work among at risk youth through the mixed martial arts.

Ford said the program would offer lectures featuring both UFC fighters and police and would come at no cost to the TDSB.

"The Toronto police community mobilization unit is involved along with the Rogers family and so on and so forth," he said.