WATCH: “Better not be punished for this” – Michael Bisping says ‘f**king gay’ during UFC 298 ESPN live broadcast leaving fans in splits

UFC commentator and analyst Michael Bisping drops a homophobic slur on live broadcast after the UFC 298 fights concluded.

WATCH: “Better not be punished for this” – Michael Bisping says ‘f**king gay’ during UFC 298 ESPN live broadcast leaving fans in splits

Michael Bisping slips a homophobic slur on the live broadcast after the UFC 298 (via X)

UFC 298 was a card of epic proportions. The magnitude of fights and the drama leading up to it was nothing short of extraordinary. But the fights weren’t the only thing that caused drama. Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping sparked controversy at UFC 298. He was caught using an anti-gay slur during ESPN’s live pay-per-view broadcast.

Bisping works as a commentator for ESPN’s UFC coverage. His analysis of fights and the MMA rules is well-regarded in the MMA community. He made the remarks after appearing in a segment after the fights at UFC 298 concluded. Believing he was off-air, Bisping giggled and talked to himself when he commented.

What a guy? That's f***ing gay.
Michael Bisping during UFC 298 ESPN broadcast
YouTube video

However, Bisping was still on a live mic with some international UFC 298 telecasts. Viewers heard his offensive language, and the video of the incident went viral online. Bisping was part of ESPN’s broadcast team for UFC 298. The event took place in Anaheim and was headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria. Topuria finished the fight with a KO and claimed the featherweight title.

FS Video

Bisping is a UFC Hall of Famer following his distinguished fighting career. The British fighter reigned as middleweight champion from 2016 to 2017. However, the 44-year-old badly misstepped in his current role as a prominent ESPN broadcaster. 

Fight fans react to Michael Bisping’s use of homophobic slur

Michael Bisping sparked outrage with his use of an anti-gay slur during a recent UFC event. Bisping’s offensive comment drew criticism as well as some humor from fight fans worldwide. The incident occurred at UFC 298 in Anaheim last weekend. 

Fight fans react to Michael Bisping dropping homophibc slur after UFC 298
Fight fans react to Michael Bisping dropping homophobic slur after UFC 298 (via Yahoo)

Fight fans took to social media to express their feelings toward this incident. Some fight fans condemned Bisping’s language. Others demanded his firing from ESPN for propagating hate speech. A subset of fans felt this was humorous as this was all in good spirits. Here are some reactions from fight fans:

https://twitter.com/JerryMather999/status/1759387217791742446

Bisping faces quite an intense backlash for the comment. He has yet to address the situation publicly. The UFC must take decisive action regarding Bisping’s future with the promotion. UFC CEO Dana White and ESPN have not commented on the incident yet. 

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