UFC 293 fighter Charles Radtke issued an apology after using a homophobic slur in a post-fight interview, attributing his remarks to high emotions and promising to learn from his mistakes.
Charles Radtke, a UFC 293 prelim fighter, ended up facing criticism due to an explicit interview after his fight. In the interview, he used a homophobic slur, leading him to an apology directed to the entire promotion and its fanbase. The apology came through his official Twitter account, where he confessed that he succumbed under his high-running emotions. He explicitly stated that these comments did not reflect his actual beliefs, and such slurs had no place in a platform as influential as the UFC. Tiki Ghosn, Radtke’s manager, confirmed the Twitter account belonged to the fighter.
Radtke is an experienced UFC Fight Pass-streamed CFFC competitor, who faced boos as he made his octagon debut. He battled against Blood Diamond, a native New Zealander and City Kickboxing veteran. Radtke managed to secure a victory by unanimous decision registering scores of 29-27, which came primarily as a result of Diamond’s point deduction due to illegal groin shots. However, his post-fight response targeted the crowd at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, using profanity alongside a homophobic slur. This resulted in Daniel Cormier, the UFC commentator, intervening by quickly pulling the microphone away, leading to the crowd responding with loud boos.
The fighter decided not to make an appearance backstage to interact with reporters after the fight. Instead, he only shared a brief message following his controversial post-fight commentary. The explicit remarks drew immediate and strong reactions from fellow UFC fighters, whereas UFC and ESPN made no immediate official statements concerning the incident. No immediate response was received from the promotion when requested to provide a statement. Radtke, also known as Chuck Buffalo, took to his Twitter account where he pledged to learn from his mistakes, not just within the ring but also from his post-fight reactions. After his victory in the fight, his professional record stood at 8-3.
In Radtke’s statement, he expressed deep regret for his offensive post-fight remarks, extending a sincere apology to UFC fans globally as well as those in Sydney. He reaffirmed that these comments were not indicative of his true beliefs, admitting that he was overcome by the pressure of the situation and expressed unfiltered emotions. As someone fighting in the ring with their dreams and livelihood at stake, he acknowledged the mental strain it puts on individuals, yet identified it as no excuse for his behavior. Radtke emphasized his commitment to learn from these mistakes, expressing hope for an opportunity to correct them in the future, and concluded with the affirmation that ‘Chuck Buffalo loves everybody’.