Donald Cerrone is going to be getting serious heat after comments he made on Sunday in a Q&A panel with CM Punk to discuss UFC 200, as he dropped a homophobic slur when discussing the efforts of Daniel Cormier on the card.
Here’s the exchange, as transcribed by BloodyElbow.com:
Cerrone: “What about the worst fight?”
CM Punk: “The worst fight?”
Cerrone: “Your boy, DC. Terrible!”
CM Punk: “What?”
Cerrone: “Terrible. How are you going to give up weight and then fight like a f*g, man?”
*applause breaks out in the audience*
CM Punk: “Wait a second. You and everybody else who clapped for that were the same people who were cheering when Brock would take Hunt down, and do the exact same thing DC did to Anderson.”
Cerrone: “That’s different. That was Brock.”
CM Punk: “It’s the same thing!”
Cerrone: “Yeah but Anderson is giving up 30 pounds, flies in, two days notice, fights [Cormier], you’re — f*cking stand and fight, motherf*cker!”
CM Punk: “Hey, I get it! Everybody’s disappointed. They want to see Anderson Silva do some ninja shit. But if I’m standing across from him, I don’t want to see him do ninja shit. I’m gonna take his ass down.”
The comment, asinine on its face, is even more poorly timed given the UFC’s efforts this week to benefit the LGBTQ community with their “We Are All Fighters” shirt, the proceeds of which went to the LGBTQ Center in Las Vegas, and in the fact that newly crowned champion Amanda Nunes is herself a gay woman. No further comment has been made by the UFC regarding Cerrone’s statements.
Penick’s Analysis: Michael Bisping recently dropped the same word to Luke Rockhold after their UFC 199 bout, which while awful in its own right saw him immediately apologize. The way Cerrone drops it here is flat out unacceptable, and undermines him to a degree as a fan favorite. It’s a word he’s dropped before, and it’s completely ridiculous that it’s still getting thrown out by someone in his position in 2016. Just an extremely stupid thing to say.
Attention iPhone/iPad and Android users, if you’ve enjoyed our app in the past and followed us there, or if you’ve never checked it out, make sure to update to the latest version in the Apple store and/or Google Play store. We’ve launched a new look for the app, in line with our recent desktop overhaul. Make sure to check it out!
For current App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
It’s not unacceptable at all: It’s called free speech. Lay off the guy. He shouldn’t have to fear being punished because of PC nuts who can’t stand hearing offensive words.
Hope you’ll post this comment.
Free speech doesn’t mean free of punishment. Especially for someone in a high profile spot representing a sport and an organization. Say whatever words you want, other people have the right to think you’re an asshole for using them.
Free speech doesn’t mean free of punishment? Take that thinking back to communist Russia.
Sheesh. Trying to punish a man and ruin his livelihood over saying the word “fag”.
I still love Cerrone, and I don’t give a rip who uses the word “fag” in 2016.
Organizations can and will discipline and/or fire people for the things they say in the workplace, when representing the company, on social media, etc. The right to free speech protects you from the government shutting down what you want to say, not from any repercussions whatsoever.
Hey – Can we ban that guy form the internet? Or at least form this site?