Six years ago, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone made headlines for a “homophobic” remark that got the attention of a UFC partner.
At UFC 200, Daniel Cormier defeated Anderson Silva via unanimous decision. Given Silva’s legendary striking acumen, Cormier decided to rely on his wrestling to neutralize “The Spider.”
Cormier’s performance was met with criticism by many fans and even some of his peers, including Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
As you’ll see in this installment of the MMA News Archives, Cerrone took issue with his words being taken out of context. Nevertheless, it wasn’t just the media who found Cerrone’s words attention-grabbing, as UFC partner The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada did as well.
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In the grand scheme of things, the following story did little to nothing to tarnish Cerrone’s image as one of the biggest fan-favorites in UFC history. And six years later, he’s still at it, including in tonight’s co-main event against Joe Lauzon at UFC Austin.
Nonetheless, here’s a brief excursion back in time to a story that made waves six years ago along with Cerrone’s reaction to it.
The following story is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 18, 2016, 10:51 AM]
Headline: UFC Partner Company “Disappointed” With Donald Cerrone’s Homophobic Comment
Author: Matt Boone
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone continues to feel the backlash of his controversial anti-gay comments.
Cerrone, who remarked that Daniel Cormier fought “like a f*g” against Anderson Silva, whom he placed a $1,000 underdog bet on, would go on to post an apology to The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, an organization that UFC recently worked with, including producing a “We Are All Fighters” shirt.
“Cowboy” would go on to delete his apology post, with the UFC informing MMAFighting.com that his comments became “vile and derogatory” to the people he was apologizing to.
Donald Cerrone would go onto social media to further elaborate on the subject, pointing out his belief that he used “the wrong choice of words” and was “taken totally out of context.”
In a follow-up, a representative from The Center, a partner company to the UFC, Michael Dimengo, released a statement regarding this story to MMAFighting.com:
“Yes, we are disappointed by the remarks made by Mr. Cerrone about Mr. Cormier. The new initiative between UFC and The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada is an initiative of mutual support and trust, because we recognize the intersection of good sportsmanship that includes respect for all persons and equality for all persons, as part of the UFC agenda and our ultimate aims for equality and recognition of LGBTQ persons. Our partnership with UFC is intentional.
“That partnership is not only one of support, but one in which we can enhance UFC and its athletes with sensitivity to our organization and our culture. We hope to work collaboratively together. If there’s ever a way we can work with Mr. Cerrone and share with him our experiences, to foster that respect, we’re happy to do so.”
Continue Reading Archives: UFC Partner Reacts To Cerrone’s ‘Homophobic’ Comment (2016) at MMA News.