Manel Kape and Charles Radtke have apologised for using homophobic slurs following their wins at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia.
Angola’s Kape aimed the remark at New Zealand rival Kai Kara-France after his win over Brazil’s Felipe dos Santos.
American Radtke targeted his slur at the crowd after he was booed during his win against Zimbabwe’s Mike Mathetha.
Kape says he “feels bad” and is “sorry” for the comment, while Radtke has “sincerely apologised” to UFC fans.
“I’m sorry for that, it was emotion. During the fight, during interviews we say things we don’t want to say. We feel bad about that. I apologise,” said Kape in a post-fight news conference.
Meanwhile, Radtke posted on social media that he “plans to learn from the mistake”.
He said: “Those comments are not a reflection of who I am and they don’t belong on a platform as great as what the UFC has provided me.
“My emotions were running high. It’s hard to explain the way your mind works when you’re locked in a cage to fight another man with your entire livelihood on the line.
“I plan to learn from my mistakes from both during and after the fight and I’m hoping I can get an opportunity to correct them in the future. Chuck Buffalo loves everybody.”
UFC president Dana White gave no indication whether the pair would be punished for using the discriminatory remarks.
“I think these guys get a little excited, and you make bad mistakes. You know me, we didn’t run over to him and say ‘you better apologise’ – he [Kape] did that on his own when he got backstage. He was embarrassed and got caught up in the moment,” said White.
“We make mistakes, I am not holier than thou either, we’ve all been in positions where we’ve made mistakes, and like I always say, it’s how you recover from it and how you carry yourself after.
“I’m sure some people will accept his apology and some people won’t.”
