Update: The UFC has ordered Werdum to perform community service. See below.

Original article:

UFC heavyweight fighter Fabricio Werdum issued the single best example of a non-apology apology for calling fellow fighter Tony Ferguson a “maricon,” Spanish for “faggot.”

“Maricon is common word in the Spanish culture and I do not mean to offend anyone in the LBG community and if I did I'm apologetic #heeyy,” Werdum posted on Twitter.

There are a lot of common words in Spanish that Werdum could have used, but he chose to use one that is a gay slur. And he thinks we all idiotas if we buy his argument.

At a Thursday news conference, he and Ferguson got into a shouting match and Werdum used “maricon” several times.

“Shut your mouth, you fucking faggot,” Werdum said to Ferguson. "Don’t talk to me like that, that’s not how it works. You can talk like that to your division but with me you can’t talk like that, faggot.”

Ferguson also used “maricon” once in the argument and has yet to comment on it.

As we wrote earlier, the UFC needs to discipline the fighters if its support for LGBT equality is to have any meaning.

Update:

The UFC has ordered Werdum to perform community outreach:

The UFC organization is disappointed with recent comments made by Fabricio Werdum at a promotional event in Los Angeles. The nature and implication of his comments do not reflect UFC’s views and will not be tolerated, no matter the manner in which they are used.

We acknowledge and appreciate that Fabricio has since apologized to the organization and to anyone he may have offended with his words. As high profile athletes, role models, and global ambassadors of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, athletes under contract with UFC are required to abide by the Athlete Conduct Policy.
Given his breach of this policy, Fabricio has agreed to perform community outreach within the LGBTQ community in Las Vegas, taking steps to enact change and make a direct impact within the community.

It’s not much of a punishment, and the UFC lags behind other sports organizations in how it reacts to the use of gay slurs. Werdum got off lightly.

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