Dana White refuses to force fighters to apologize for using homophobic slurs despite backlash after UFC 293

Dana White Manel Kape UFC 293The UFC president Dana White seems to be an avid believer in free speech, as he refuses to force fighters to apologize for saying things, even if those things happen to include homophobic slurs. At UFC 293, a moment of great promotional footage was ruined when UFC flyweight Manel Kape called Kai Kara France’s teammates […]

Dana White Manel Kape UFC 293

The UFC president Dana White seems to be an avid believer in free speech, as he refuses to force fighters to apologize for saying things, even if those things happen to include homophobic slurs.

At UFC 293, a moment of great promotional footage was ruined when UFC flyweight Manel Kape called Kai Kara France’s teammates a bunch of f****** at the tail end of what was a compelling callout by Kape. Earlier in the night, Charlie Radtke also said a homophobic term after his fight, which in today’s day and age is definitely not kosher.

When asked about these homophobic terms by reporters, Dana White defended his fighters and claimed they just got lost in the excitement of the moment. “I think these guys get a little excited and they make bad mistakes,” White said (H/T MMA Junkie). “Radtke did the same thing, and you know me: we didn’t run over to him and say ‘you better apologize’. He did that on his own.”

Dana White defends his fighters for homophobic slur use at UFC 293

“We make mistakes,” White continued. “I am not holier than thou either, so we’ve all been in positions where we’ve made mistakes. Like I always say, it’s how you recover from it and how you carry yourself after you make the mistake.”

“He came out and apologized on his own free will,” Dana White said. “We didn’t tell him to do anything, and the fact that he did that means he means it. I don’t make anybody apologize for anything. You do what you want. You’re grown men and women. You’re able to say what you want. He did it. He was embarrassed and he apologized. I’m sure some people will accept his apology and some people won’t.”

Both Kape and Radtke apologized for what they said, and it seems no punishment will be doled out by the UFC. It’s honestly a little bit contradictory when you reflect on the time that former UFC superstar Nate Diaz wrote a Tweet that included a homophobic slur and promptly got suspended by the UFC. The Diaz suspension happened back in 2013, roughly a decade before the famous incident on New Year’s Eve where Dana White was filmed slapping his wife across the face mid-argument.

White received no penalty for that event, and perhaps it’s even why he’s seemingly being more lenient now compared to the UFC’s actions in handling the Diaz situation back in 2013.

What do you think about Kape and Radtke saying homophobic slurs at UFC 293, and the way Dana White is handling the situation?

Manel Kape drops homophobic slur in vulgar UFC 293 post-Fight tirade at City Kickboxing fighters

Manel KapeFlyweight standout Manel Kape didn’t let Charlie Radtke have all the fun on Saturday night. ‘Starboy’ stepped into the Octagon as part of the promotion’s stacked UFC 293 main card inside the Qudos Bank Arena with late-notice replacement opponent Felipe dos Santos. Despite having two weight cuts in a relatively short period of time, dos […]

Manel Kape

Flyweight standout Manel Kape didn’t let Charlie Radtke have all the fun on Saturday night.

‘Starboy’ stepped into the Octagon as part of the promotion’s stacked UFC 293 main card inside the Qudos Bank Arena with late-notice replacement opponent Felipe dos Santos. Despite having two weight cuts in a relatively short period of time, dos Santos brought the fight to Kape throughout their three-round affair. Both fighters delivered a highly entertaining fight for the fans in Australia that ultimately saw Manel Kape score a unanimous decision win that extended his win streak to four.

Unfortunately, the 15-minute slugfest was quickly forgotten as Kape took to the mic and delivered an explicit-filled post-fight interview that largely targeted his original opponent for the event, Kai Kara-France.

“I was supposed to fight Kai Kara. You motherf*cker, you’re here. You show up, you piece of sh*t,” Manel Kape said, directing his comments toward Kara-France who was in the crowd. “You are a piece of sh*t. That’s what you are. Hey, listen guys. Listen. I’m gonna fight you next and if you refuse again to fight me, I’m going to your city. I’m going to your camp. I’m gonna spar you there and no one’s gonna do anything. You know why? All your teammates are a bunch of f****ts.

Manel Kape Wasn’t the Only Fighter to Drop the Other F-Bomb at UFC 293

It was the second such interview of the night where a fighter dropped the homophobic slur following an otherwise noteworthy victory. The first came when UFC newcomer Charlie Radtke called fans in attendance the same disgusting word as they booed his performance against Mike Mathetha, aka Blood Diamond, during the early prelims.

As he did with Radtke, Daniel Cormier quickly pulled the microphone away from Kape and wrapped up the interview.

With two separate incidents of homosexual vilification on the same night, one has to wonder what the UFC will do if anything to curb the unnecessary and downright vile insults that plagued an otherwise entertaining event in The Land Down Under.

Alex Perez confirms he suffered seizure backstage ahead of UFC San Antonio fight with Manel Kape

Alex Perez confirms seizure forced him from UFC San AntonioFormer UFC flyweight title challenger, Alex Perez has confirmed how a seizure suffered backstage during his warm-up ahead of a fight with Manel Kape at UFC San Antonio last night, resulted in his removal from the Texas card. Perez, who has been sidelined since July of last year where he suffered a decision loss to […]

Alex Perez confirms seizure forced him from UFC San Antonio

Former UFC flyweight title challenger, Alex Perez has confirmed how a seizure suffered backstage during his warm-up ahead of a fight with Manel Kape at UFC San Antonio last night, resulted in his removal from the Texas card.

Perez, who has been sidelined since July of last year where he suffered a decision loss to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277, had previously challenged for undisputed flyweight gold against former champion, Deiveson Figueiredo.

Headlining UFC 255 in November 2020 against the Brazilian on short-notice, Perez, the current #6 ranked flyweight contender, suffered a first round submission loss, with Figueiredo latching onto a guillotine choke inside just two minutes of the first frame. 

Seeing a slew of fights against the likes of Brandon Moreno, Aksar Askarov, Matt Schnell, and Kai Kara-France shelved in recent years, Perez was forced from last night’s main card fight against former Rizin FF champion, Kape due to health issues.

Alex Perez confirms a medical emergency forced him from UFC San Antonio

Posting an official statement on his Instagram account, Perez, a staple under Colin Oyama in California, confirmed he had suffered a seizure backstage during his warm-up routine for his main card fight with Kape.

“First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for all the support and concerns,” Alex Perez posted. “I was doing my pre-fight warm up and had a seizure. I immediately received medical attention. My hydration, eletrolytes, etc were all more than adequate.”

“This has nothing to do with weight cut,” Alex Perez continued. “It was one of the easiest cuts of my career. I will be undergoing further testing in the upcoming weeks to determine the cause. I would appreciate privacy. My apologizes to my opponent and fans. Thank you to the UFC medical team for their help and support.” 

In his most recent Octagon victory, Perez managed to defeat Jussier Formiga with a first round TKO courtesy of leg kicks at UFC 250 in June 2020. 

Manel Kape Didn’t Want To Hurt Opponent At UFC Vegas 66

Manel Kape has suggested he could have finished the submission he secured against David Dvo?ák if he’d been willing to cause his opponent serious harm. “Starboy” met Dvo?ák in a flyweight bout on the prelims of UFC Vegas 66, which was the promoti…

Manel Kape has suggested he could have finished the submission he secured against David Dvo?ák if he’d been willing to cause his opponent serious harm. “Starboy” met Dvo?ák in a flyweight bout on the prelims of UFC Vegas 66, which was the promotion’s final event of the year. On paper, the fight appeared to be…

Continue Reading Manel Kape Didn’t Want To Hurt Opponent At UFC Vegas 66 at MMA News.

Manel Kape explains kimura that nearly finished David Dvorak at UFC Vegas 66

manel kapeFormer Rizin bantamweight champion Manel Kape finally returned to the octagon last night at UFC Vegas 66 for the first time in over a year, where he walked straight through David Dvorak en route to a unanimous decision victory. Following a kimura attempt at the end of the opening round, where if there were ten […]

manel kape

Former Rizin bantamweight champion Manel Kape finally returned to the octagon last night at UFC Vegas 66 for the first time in over a year, where he walked straight through David Dvorak en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Following a kimura attempt at the end of the opening round, where if there were ten seconds left in the round, he certainly would’ve secured the finish, Kape nearly knocked Dvorak out on two separate occasions in round two, before ultimately winning the third and final round.

This improved Kape’s win streak to three-straight, as he handily defeated the no. 9 ranked flyweight contender.

Kape had the following to say in regards to his stellar performance at UFC Vegas 66 in his post-fight interview:

“He’s (Dvorak is) still slow. He’s still slow. He just changed his game plan. It was not usual he would fight like he (fought). Normally, if you watch his last fights, all of the fights in his career, he’s all the time the man in the center of the ring. This time, he chose to be the man back (against) the cage. I don’t know if he worked a long time for that, but if you didn’t put in work or put in the fights so many times, you’re going to lose. You’re going to lose.

“I think I was breaking his arm (with the kimura), but he showed me he has a lion heart, a spirit of sacrifice. He has a big spirit of sacrifice. He just showed he doesn’t want to lose this fight. He showed he wants to be there. He showed himself that he’s tough, but he paid the price for that.”

Following a four-fight year last year in 2021, where Kape made his UFC debut and ended the year with a pair of back-to-back knockout victories, this was Kape’s first fight in 2022. He didn’t appear to be rusty whatsoever, which is perhaps what led him to taunt his opponent comfortably.

“I feel like fish in water, you know? When I step in the cage, I feel very comfortable. I do everything that I do. I do everything I want. It’s my space, so I have a little bit of fun like I didn’t have for a long time. I just want to show this division how comfortable I am inside the cage.”

Who would you like to see Manel ‘Starboy’ Kape face next?

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Manel Kape Targets Vegas Meeting With Fellow “Starboy” The Weeknd

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is hoping to run into Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd in Las Vegas soon enough. When the term “Starboy” is thrown around, perhaps most around the globe will think of The Weeknd and his third studio album. Released in 2016, Starboy featured names like Kendrick Lamar and Future, debuted at number…

Continue Reading Manel Kape Targets Vegas Meeting With Fellow “Starboy” The Weeknd at MMA News.

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is hoping to run into Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd in Las Vegas soon enough.

When the term “Starboy” is thrown around, perhaps most around the globe will think of The Weeknd and his third studio album. Released in 2016, Starboy featured names like Kendrick Lamar and Future, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, won a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, and has been streamed more than seven billion times on Spotify.

But if you ask MMA fans what the term “Starboy” means to them, most will respond with the name of a former Rizin Bantamweight Champion and one of the most electrifying flyweights in the world.

That man is Manel “Starboy” Kape.

Manel Kape to serve as backup for Figueiredo vs. Moreno flyweight title  fight at UFC 256

Prior to arriving in the UFC, the Angolan-Portuguese fighter had amassed a 15-4 record and achieved immense success in Japan’s leading MMA promotion. Despite a poor 0-2 start inside the Octagon, the 28-year-old has rebounded in style, bringing his promotional record to even with a pair of first-round knockouts against Ode’ Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Now, with his reputation enhancing and his notoriety rising inside the cage, Kape is looking to catch up with the leading “Starboy,” and perhaps secure a meeting with him soon enough.

During a recent interview with Cageside Press, the #14-ranked flyweight assured The Weeknd that there’s no competition when it comes to the moniker, expressing a desire to meet the successful artist in a Las Vegas club down the line.

“I don’t know (when we’ll meet). I’m ready to go and love the parties here in Vegas, you know. Of course, we don’t see each other — actually, I see him in the casino one time, but let’s see if we meet one day in a club in Vegas.”

Having confirmed that the meeting of two “Starboys” in the same room doesn’t cause the universe to implode, Kape is looking to set up a proper meeting with the Canadian, something he hopes to boost the chances of with a viral knockout next time out.

“Yes, that’s gonna be the link, bro, 100%.”

If he’s to accomplish that feat, the victim will need to be Rogerio Bontorin. On June 11, Kape will be looking to secure an ascent into the flyweight top 10, as well as some attention from a certain Ontario native, at the expense of the Brazilian.

Walking out to The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s hit single “Starboy” (no rewards for guessing the album) before his next fight certainly wouldn’t harm his secondary objective…

Continue Reading Manel Kape Targets Vegas Meeting With Fellow “Starboy” The Weeknd at MMA News.