clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Foul-mouthed UFC 293 fighter apologizes for homophobic post-fight rant, but may have broken Sydney’s vilification law

No, it wasn’t Sean Strickland.

Former Cage Fury MMA welterweight champion Charles Radtke made his highly-anticipated Octagon debut as part of the UFC 293 preliminary card in Sydney, Australia, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Mike “Blood Diamond” Mathetha to capture his fifth straight win.

Unfortunately, Radtke squandered his momentum with an idiotic post-fight speech that left Daniel Cormier speechless, or it could have been producers screaming through “DC’s” earpiece to pull the plug. Either way, Radtke turned a celebratory moment into a viral social media video.

For all the wrong reasons.

“F*ck all you f*gg*ts up in the f*cking crowd,” Radtke, 33, shouted at the booing fans, before flipping them the double bird. “Come down here and get some you p*ssy a** b*tch. F*ck you!”

Radtke may have unwittingly broken Sydney’s homosexual vilification law.

Radtke (8-3) issued an apology after the fact, blaming elevated emotions and post-fight adrenaline for his outburst. After all, it was his UFC debut in front of a raucous Australian crowd, though it may also be a matter of damage control to avoid a UFC Code of Conduct violation, which often carries a stiff financial penalty.

“I’d like to sincerely apologize to UFC fans across the world and to the fans here in Sydney for the remarks I made post fight today,” Radtke wrote on Twitter. “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 and dreams on the line. I plan to learn from my mistakes from both during and after the fight and I’m hoping that I can get an opportunity to correct them in the future.”

It remains to be seen how UFC handles this situation (if at all) after the dust settles “Down Under.”

For complete UFC 293 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the MMA Mania Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your fighting news from MMA Mania