UFC Fighters Bring Politics and Religion to the Cage? ‘Keep That Stuff at Home’
It’s not uncommon for an athlete to thank their God following a win in any sport. Mixed martial arts is no different.
Former lightweight titleholder Benson Henderson’s first comments following a win are, “I can do all things through Christ.” But that type of homage isn’t want UFC president Dana White discourages.
Following his UFC Fight Night 70 knockout win over Lyoto Machida, middleweight contender Yoel Romero delivered a sermon urging America to “wake up.”
“What happened to you USA? What happened to you? What’s going on? You forget that the best of the best of the world, the name is Jesus Christ. What happened to you? Wake up USA,” Romero said during his post-fight interview.
“Go for Jesus, not forget Jesus, people,” he said. But some heard him say something different, something vastly different that changes the context of his comments completely.
RELATED > See Video of Yoel Romero's Post-Fight Religious Rant
A number of people thought Romero said, “Go for Jesus, not for gay Jesus, people,” referencing the recent Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
“I know he didn’t say that. I know he didn’t say it. Everyone knows he didn’t say that,” White told MMAFighting.com.
White, however, believes fighters should talk about their fights in post-fight interviews and leave their religious and political views at home. But he doesn’t think what Romero said was controversial.
“It wasn’t controversial at all, but the reality is this: you just won the biggest fight of your career. You know? America doesn’t want to hear your thoughts on Jesus. Keep that stuff at home: religion, politics, and all that stuff,” he said.
“When you’re out there fighting and you’re being interviewed, they want to hear about the fight. It’s awesome that you love Jesus. Love Jesus all you want. You just don’t have to do it publicly,” added the UFC president.
“If you’d just keep that stuff… talk about your fight. People don’t want to be preached to.”
