UFCs welterviktsmästare, Tyron Woodley, har tidigare uttryckt att rasism existerar och är ett problem inom MMA. Bland annat har Woodley uttryckt sig på följande sätt följande via hans podcast:
Then I’ve had people call me ‘n***er’ and monkey and all this racist stuff. And I delete the people so they’ll create another page and just go back out. People are willing to take so many hours of their day to be so negative… Some people, I look at their page and all they do all day is go against African-American athletes and try to racially slur them.
Woodley har även uttryckt att han och andra fighters blir behandlade sämre på grund av deras etnicitet:
Who’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? Demetrious Johnson. African-American male- completely a Tasmanian Devil. Why doesn’t he have the big endorsements? Why isn’t he making the most money? What’s the difference? Think about it- the second Jon Jones slips on a banana peel and do something- now he’s his own worst enemy- but, they can’t wait to throw him under the bus, but people of different races are given so many chances.
UFCs mellanviktsmästare, Michael Bisping, menar att han inte har upplevt rasism som ett problem i UFC. Bisping kommenterade nyligen Woodleys åsikter om rasisms verkan i UFC, via Bloody Elbow:
We’re going off on a tangent here, but still, I’m saying Nick and Nate Diaz are white. You know, we were talking about Tyron Woodley before, they might say, ’Look at this guy, entitled white guy living in Orange County, saying, ’Racism doesn’t exist.’ How on earth does he have a clue? How is he ever going to consider anything like that, because he could never ever come close to experiencing it?’ And you’re absolutely right. So, if I’m wrong, then I apologize. I’m just saying, in my experience, I haven’t seen any evidence of it. In fact, I’ve seen the opposite. I’ve seen black athletes being pushed. I mean, Rampage Jackson, when he came over from Pride, got a huge push from the UFC and the list goes on. Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier as we just said. But, if I did offend anybody I apologize. But there really wasn’t any need for offense. But, you know how some people like to twist shit and say whatever.
Woodley är inte den enda fightern i UFC som har yttrat åsikter om att mörkhyade fighters inte ges samma förutsättningar. Kevin Lee har också sagt att UFC inte gör tillräckligt för att marknadsföra mörkhyade fighters.
