UFC fight champion Conor McGregor has been accused of racial bias, but the fighter’s father, Tony McGregor, is striking back against claims that his son is a racist.
Some have accused McGregor of being a racist after repeated remarks made as he gears up for his big money fight with boxing champion Floyd Mayweather. Indeed, McGregor tried to make fun of the claim he is a racist during a recent promotional stop, but his comments fell flat, to say the least.
Not only did McGregor not help defeat claims he was racist, but he also made things worse by alluding to a sexual stereotype concerning blacks.
“Let’s address the race,” the UFC champ said. “A lot of media is saying I’m against black people. That’s absolutely (expletive) ridiculous. Do they not know I’m half-black? I’m half-black from the bellybutton down.”
At another recent event, McGregor raised eyebrows when he began taunting Mayweather by yelling, “Dance for me, boy.”
Worse, during an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” McGregor described the movie “Rocky 3” as “the one with the dancing monkeys in the gym.”
The constant missteps have dogged the UFC fighter, but McGregor’s father is sticking up for his son.
Appearing on The MMA Hour, Tony McGregor dismissed claims that his son is a racist.
“Conor McGregor is not racist,” Mr. McGregor insisted. “This fight is not about race. This fight is about skill and technique. In fact, I don’t think any fight is ever about race. The color of skin is immaterial. It’s the victory that Conor is looking for. It’s imperative. That’s the only thing I’d say in that.”
“Conor is absolutely, unequivocally not racist,” the elder McGregor added. “It’s not about skin color. No two combatants would ever get into a ring, and the issue would be the color of their opposing skin. No, absolutely not. It’s a fight issue, not a race issue.”
For his part, Mayweather is not amused with McGregor’s constant use of the words “boy” and “monkey.”
“He totally disrespected my daughter, he disrespected the mother of my daughter, he disrespected black women, and he called black people monkeys,” Mayweather said backstage after a recent promotional event. “What I want to say is this: I’m proud to be a black man. I’m proud to be an American, and I love everybody. And I have a diverse team.”
“You can’t do that. Conor McGregor, you cannot disrespect black women, you can’t disrespect black people—period. We’ve been through a lot,” the boxing champion concluded.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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