“America doesn’t want to hear,” Dana White urged Cuban fighter to not talk about Jesus Christ on television
Yoel Romero's speech about Jesus to American crowd was not received favorably by Dana White.
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Dana White (Source: X)
Dana White is all for freedom of speech, or so he claims. The UFC President is not very vocal about religion and had to urge Cuban fighter Yoel Romero to keep religion out of his post-fight speeches. White was upset after the middleweight went on a “Jesus Christ-related post-fight promo.”
Dana White took to a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani to address this issue. One would feel that the UFC boss might not be pro-freedom of speech, after all. A visibly upset White said:
It wasn't controversial at all. But the reality is, you just won the biggest fight of your career. America doesn't want to hear your thoughts on Jesus.Dana White via Ariel Helwani interview
‘Soldier Of God’ Yoel Romero beat one of the legends of the sport, Lyoto Machida, at UFC Fight Night 70. After he gave a fantastic performance, the fighter took the time to give a lengthy speech about Jesus Christ to the American audience. Since Romero’s English is not the best, several viewers misinterpreted the fighter’s speech.
White clarified saying his problem was Romero taking the UFC platform to preach about his love for Jesus. White continued:
When you are fighting and you are being interviewed, they want to hear about the fight. It's awesome that you love Jesus...you just don't have to do it publicly.Dana White via Ariel Helwani interview
The UFC boss got a lot of backlash for his comments. The fans were furious that White had never mentioned several Muslim fighters taking their moment to praise their religion in the octagon. For some fans it came as no surprise as Dana White saw himself as an atheist.
Why was Yoel Romero’s “Jesus” speech controversial by Dana White and the audience?
Joe Rogan interviewed the middleweight fighter Yoel Romero after his win. UFC Fight Night 70 took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. In the post-fight interview, Romero wore a bible quote on his forehead.
This is what Romero said:
America had forgot about the best of the best, Jesus Christ. What happened to you? Go for Jesus, no forget Jesus.Yoel Romero via octagon interview
Most people misinterpreted the last line. The fighter’s “Don’t forget Jesus” line was taken as “Go for Jesus, not for gay Jesus“. This caused quite a controversy and the fighter apologized for not being more clear.
Romero was one of the biggest fan-favorites during his time in the UFC. Joe Rogan, who interviewed Yoel Romero at the time, took the time on his podcast to break down what actually happened. Rogan believed Romero’s unfortunate heavy accent caused all the confusion.
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Prateek Athanur
(2960 Articles Published)