Sexism and homophobia inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship has gotten so bad that Anheuser-Busch—which doesn't have a reputation for fussiness or political correctness—is publicly threatening to remove its sponsorship money. The maker of Budweiser told Ad Age:
"We've communicated to the UFC our displeasure with certain remarks made by some of its fighters, and they have promised to address this. If the incidents continue, we will act."
That kind of open statement is almost unheard of in sports sponsorship, where advertiser displeasure is usually delivered to media partners behind closed doors.
It came after UFC president Dana White used the word "faggot" in a video; presenter Joe Rogan used the C-word to refer to a female blogger; and one fighter, Brandon C. Saling, was allowed to compete in a UFC-affiliated event, according to Big Lead Sports, even though he is a convicted sex offender who wears Nazi tattoos. The picture above is Saling's police mugshot, taken after he was accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.
The UFC is an extreme case. While the sport can't be expected to be a bastion of Edwardian manners, it is not until you see a collection of the kinds of things said by UFC pros that you realize just how unprofessional the organization is. What follows is a slideshow of incidents in which offensive language and behavior is used in the UFC. We don't publish it to be sensational—although we're not against that either. We do so because parents ought to know what their kids are watching.
Joe Rogan used the c-word to describe a female UFC blogger, and didn't apologize.
Joe Rogan used the c-word to describe a blogger, Maggie Hendricks, who writes about the UFC. Hendricks had criticized one fighter for sexually harassing a UFC TV presenter, and Rogan posted his opinion of her on an online forum. When asked to apologize, he later wrote:
“Never did I imagine that so many people would get their panties in a bunch about the use of the word [expletive] to describe a female blogger.”
UFC Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson forces a Japanese fan to call himself a faggot.
At a fan convention, Jackson repeatedly persuades his Asian fans to make homophobic remarks about themselves while the video rolls. Painful.
Fighter Rashad Evans makes jokes about sexual abuse at Penn State.
At a pre-fight press conference, Evans promised his opponent:
"I'm going to put those hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State."
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