'I don't make anybody apologize for anything': UFC president Dana White responds to criticism over 'homophobic word' used by fighters

UFC president Dana White responded to questions about choice words used by fighters at an event in Sydney, Australia, that were deemed "homophobic" by some in the media and even by some fighters.

UFC fighters Charles Radtke, who is American, and Manel Kape from Portugal were both accused of using homophobic slurs when they addressed the crowd and members of an opposing team, respectively.

After a unanimous decision victory at UFC 293, Charles Radtke, who felt he had been treated poorly by the Australia fan base while down under, said, "F**k all you f*****s up in the f**king crowd" during his post-fight interview.

Manel Kape, who also won a unanimous decision victory, directed his comments at fellow fighter Kai Kara-France and his teammates. Kara-France was scheduled to fight Kape but dropped out due to a reported concussion.

"All your teammates [are] a bunch of f*****s," Kape said during a profanity-laden speech.

White was asked about the remarks at the post-event press conference when a journalist from MMA Junkie (USA Today) asked about the use of a "homophobic word."

"It was flying around a little bit tonight. I think these guys get a little excited, and you know, you make bad mistakes," White responded. "Radtke did the same thing, you know, and you know me, we didn't run over to him and say 'you better apologize and you better,' he did that on his own, you know.

"When he got backstage he was embarrassed and got caught up in the moment," White noted.

Radtke later issued a written apology as well, saying he planned to "learn from his mistakes" and that he "loves everybody."

"We make mistakes, I am not holier than now either, so 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 you make the mistake."

"I don't make anybody apologize for anything; you do what you want, you're grown men and women. You know you're able to say whatever you want."

Kape also apologized during his portion of the night's press conference:

“Yeah, I am sorry for that,” Kape said, per BJPenn.com. “It’s emotional, you know. During the fight, during the interview, we are all emotions. We say things that we didn’t want to say, but for [those] who feel bad about that, I apologize.”

Australian UFC fighter and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker remarked that he didn't like the comments made by the fighters and urged them to "set a good example."

"They were saying some real slurry, bigotry, bad words ... things you can't say in 2024," Whittaker said, according to MMA News.

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