MMA Fighter Uses Homophobic Language In Anti-Wrestling Rant
Ex-UFC fighter Alistair Overeem used some questionable language in his anti-wrestling rant.
Former UFC fighter Alistair Overeem launched into a rant against professional wrestling during an appearance on The MMA Hour on Monday, resorting to homophobic language when host Ariel Helwani asked for his thoughts on the sport.
Overeem, who once defeated Brock Lesnar in the UFC, said that while he used to be a wrestling fan, he fell out of it in the early '90s. He then unpacked his opinions on the modern product (h/t MMA Fighting):-
“The thing is with that whole wrestling thing, I watched it when I was 8, 9, 10 years old. Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, huge fan of those guys. Honky Tonk Man. Great, funny. Andre The Giant. I stopped watching after that, so I’m not watching since [1992, 1993, 1994]. And just recently, I started looking again on YouTube, and oh my God, this stuff is lame. It’s just lame what these guys are doing. It’s fake. It’s lame. It’s stupid. It’s g**. It doesn’t make any sense."
When Helwani spoke on the athleticism and entertainment value inherent in a good wrestling show, Overeem doubled down on his stance:-
“It’s lame. It’s not even a sport. It’s just lame. It’s bad acting. It’s just lame. Sorry for all the fans of WWE, but I’m just being honest. I’m just giving my opinion. Free country, right? I think it’s lame, and because I hadn’t seen it for 20 years. I never watched Brock fight. I never watched CM Punk fight. I knew they were from WWE.”
The Dutchman was on the show to announce an upcoming kickboxing fight with Rico Verhoeven in October. That will serve as his return to the sport for the first time since 2010, having finished up with the UFC in March.
Outsports asked Helwani about the situation afterwards, with the host offering the following comments:-
“I’m really sorry that happened. I wish he didn’t say that to describe his stance on pro wrestling. I know Alistair to be a good, decent person and debated whether I should say something in the moment. You could see my wheels turning in the moment. I’ll debate that for a while. I am genuinely sorry to anyone who was offended by the comment.”
Helwani recently brought The MMA Hour back to MMA Fighting after a three-year hiatus. This followed his decision to leave ESPN and go freelance, with the 39-year-old now a frequent WWE collaborator, having interviewed company president and chief revenue officer Nick Khan over SummerSlam 2021 weekend.