“I’m not holier than thou either…” Dana White who signed $1.5 billion dollar ESPN deal gets honest about UFC 293 fighters dropping homophobic slurs 

Dana White talks about how Manel Kape and Charles Radtke were embarrassed after speaking out homophobic slurs at UFC 293

“I’m not holier than thou either…” Dana White who signed $1.5 billion dollar ESPN deal gets honest about UFC 293 fighters dropping homophobic slurs 

Dana White (Image Courtesy- Imago)

The UFC 293 event exceeded expectations with highly entertaining fights and all-around action. However, some fighters got too excited after their victories and could not hold back their words. This led to fighters such as Charles Radtke and Manel Kape facing backlash over social media. UFC President Dana White spoke about the two fighters during the post-fight press conference.

White recently signed a record $1.5 billion dollar deal with ESPN which promotes censorship. When asked about the incidents, White replied, “He got emotional and we make mistakes. I am not holier than thou either, we’ve all been in positions where we’ve made mistakes and it’s how you recover from it”. He spoke about how the fighters were embarrassed by themselves backstage and apologized by their own will.

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White has always advocated for free speech for his fighters and said that he would never stop them from expressing his mind. However, a deal with ESPN which is a very litigious organisation may need fighters to control their emotions. Radtke and Kape put on impressive performances against their opponents at UFC 293 and got carried away in their post-fight interviews.

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White has always supported fighters putting out their mind and expressing their views. However, fans were enraged about how openly both fighters were able to chant homophobic slurs. It remains to be seen if any other fighters break the rules of censorship set by ESPN in the future.

Related: WATCH: Debut fighter puts Dana White’s company in trouble by dropping homophobic slurs on ESPN targeting Australian fans at UFC 293

Fans react to Dana White explaining his fighter’s actions at UFC 293

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Dana White (Image Courtesy- Sports Illustrated)

White explained his fighter’s actions and felt that it was their mistake and they owned up to it. He spoke about how he knew the feelings that are going through a fighter after winning a fight. However, White believes that fans will forgive the two fighters and welcome them back despite their actions. Check out some of the fan reactions-

https://twitter.com/StocktonSlap196/status/1700738029772488965
https://twitter.com/ufc_goku/status/1700744577219547334

Even though both fighters are sorry for their actions, fans believe that they have nothing to apologize for. Despite their callouts fans believe that a lot is going through a fighter’s mind after a fight and people can’t expect them to think straight.

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