'Set A Good Example!' – Robert Whittaker Denounces Fighters Who Used Homophobic Slurs At UFC 293

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker spoke out against Charles Radtke and Manel Kape’s homophobic rants at UFC 293.

Whittaker remains one of the top middleweight contenders in the world despite a loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290. He’s expecting a potential return to the Octagon by the end of the year as he looks to get back on track in the division.

While Whittaker didn’t fight at UFC 293 in Sydney, he was a big presence of fight week in his home country. He sat cage side as fighters such as Radtke, Kape, and Sean Strickland picked up wins in the Octagon.

Radtke and Kape overshadowed their performances by using a homophobic slur during their post-fight speeches. Whittaker, arguably one of the most clean-cut fighters in the UFC, wasn’t happy with their approaches to fight promotion.

Robert Whittaker Detested Charles Radtke & Manel Kape’s Interviews

During a recent episode of his MMArcade podcast, Whittaker reacted to Kape and Radtke’s controversial remarks.

“They were saying some real slurry, bigotry, bad words…things you can’t say in 2024,” Whittaker said. “I’m not one to tell anybody what to do. I just want everyone, all the fighters that fight…you wanna be real, I’m real, we’re all real. You want to be real with your fans and you want to be you, you don’t want to be a stickler or anything like that. But just remember that we under the spotlight in front of millions of fans, and of those millions of fans…there are kids, impressionable kids, starting watching UFC through all ages. Really young kids watching. Set a good example.”

UFC President Dana White disavowed Radtke and Kape’s post-fight slurs during the UFC 293 post-fight press conference. Radtke has apologized since the event, and Kape has yet to do so publically.

Radtke defeated Mike Mathetha (or ‘Blood Diamond’) by unanimous decision. Kape also earned a decision win over short-notice replacement Felipe dos Santos.

The two controversies clouded what was an eventful night inside the Octagon at UFC 293, and Whittaker is hopeful similar instances won’t happen again.

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