Two fighters have apologised for using homophobic slurs at UFC 293 on Saturday.
Manel Kape came under fire for his language after he beat Felipe dos Santos on points, with the victorious flyweight having used his in-ring interview to aim a remark at Kai Kara-France, whom he was originally scheduled to face.
Kara-France, who withdrew from his bout with Kape due to a concussion, was watching on at ringside at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Earlier in the night, Charles Radtke also used a homophobic slur after beating Mike Mathetha (better known as Blood Diamond) via decision.
Like Kape, Radtke came in for criticism for his comment, which was aimed at the crowd.
Angola’s Kape, 29, said at a post-fight press conference: “I’m sorry for that, it was emotion. During the fight, during interviews, we say things we don’t want to say. We feel bad about that. I apologise.”
American Radtke, 33, later took to social media to share a statement, in which the welterweight said: “Those comments are not a reflection of who I am, and they don’t belong on a platform as great as what the UFC has provided me.
“My emotions were running high. It’s hard to explain the way your mind works when you’re locked in a cage to fight another man with your entire livelihood on the line.
“I plan to learn from my mistakes from both during and after the fight, and I’m hoping I can get an opportunity to correct them in the future. Chuck Buffalo loves everybody.”
Charles Radtke after his victory over Mike Mathetha at UFC 293— (Getty Images)
UFC president Dana White added: “I think these guys get a little excited, and you make bad mistakes. You know me, we didn’t run over to [Kape] and say, ‘You better apologise;’ he did that on his own when he got backstage. He was embarrassed and got caught up in the moment.
“We make mistakes, I am not holier than thou either. We’ve all been in positions where we’ve made mistakes, and like I always say, it’s how you recover from it and how you carry yourself after.
“I’m sure some people will accept his apology and some people won’t.”
In the main event of UFC 293, Sean Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, beating Israel Adesanya on points to win the middleweight title.
