The UFC is Unfit For The Corps!
- In an expletive-filled video rant posted on YouTube.com, UFC president Dana White used an anti-gay slur, saying, “Whoever gave you that quote is a [expletive] and a [expletive] faggot and a [expletive] liar and everything else.” He also uttered the “F” word a total of 34 times, the “S” word 4 times, and referred to a female sports journalist as a “fucking moron” and a “fucking dumb bitch.
- At a public press conference in December, UFC fighter Rashad Evans taunted his opponent by threatening to act like former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who faces more than 50 counts of child sexual-abuse. Evans said, “I’m gonna put those hands on you worse than that dude did them other kids at Penn State.”
- Last year, UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson repeatedly urged fans in Japan, who did not appear to understand English, to say, “I am a faggot,” “I suck dick,” and “I have big tits,” among other offensive comments. Even after LGBT organizations and members of the media last fall called attention to these slurs, the UFC still allowed Jackson to compete in a televised UFC event in Tokyo, Japan.
- In December 2011, UFC fighter Miguel Torres was briefly released by the UFC after he posted the following comment on his Twitter account: “If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them.” Torres was reinstated by the UFC less than a month later after he apologized for the rape tweet and made donations to several rape crisis centers.
- In November 2011, UFC light heavyweight fighter Forrest Griffin joked about rape on Twitter. “Rape is the new missionary,” Griffin tweeted. After a woman objected to the tweet, Griffin tweeted back, "Keep it to yourself nobody cares," according to the Huffington Post. Griffin apologized for the rape tweet and made a donation to a rape crisis center.
- UFC fighter Chael Sonnen appeared in an online video giving advice to young people on fighting. "If he slaps you, punch him. If he punches you, kick him. If he kicks you, stab him. If he stabs you, shoot him. If he shoots you, you go kill his family.”
- In February 2011, UFC fighter Michael Bisping screamed, “faggot motherfucker,” at his opponent Jorge Rivera. UFC president Dana White then posted footage of Bisping making the homophobic slur on his video blog. This video is still publicly available on UFC’s video channel on YouTube.
- Joe Rogan, who does commentary for televised UFC events, last year referred to an MMA blogger as a part of the female anatomy. According to sportswriter Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Rogan then wrote on a blog, “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.”
- On March 3rd, Brandon C. Saling, who is a convicted sex offender and wears tattoos linked to Neo-Nazi culture, was allowed to compete in a televised event held by Strikeforce, a professional MMA promotion also owned by Zuffa. Saling is listed in Ohio’s sex offender registry for the offense of “gross sexual imposition.” Yet, Saling was allowed to compete before thousands of fans at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, in an event that was broadcast on the Showtime network.
Culinary Workers Union Local 226