UFC fighter who praised Adolf Hitler issues apology after furious backlash
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell has issued an apology after facing intense backlash for controversial remarks about Adolf Hitler on the opening episode of his new podcast
UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell has apologized following scathing backlash from MMA fighters, analysts, and fans over controversial remarks he made about Adolf Hitler.
Mitchell took to Instagram after UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov in Saudi Arabia to retract his statements. "I'm sorry I sounded insensitive. I definitely was not trying to offend anybody, but I know I did. I know that a lot of people died in the Holocaust, and that's a fact. Hitler did a lot of evil things, I think we can all agree on that. I'm definitely not a Nazi, and definitely do not condone any of the evil things Hitler did," Mitchell wrote. He added a caption that read: "In the future I will be much more considerate when talking about the suffering of all peoples."
The controversy exploded after Mitchell's ArkanSanity Podcast's inaugural episode, a video almost instantly removed for violating YouTube's Terms of Service. During the podcast still available on Rumble, Mitchell addressed Elon Musk's controversial "salute" gesture at a post-inauguration Donald Trump rally before launching into a disturbing defense of Hitler.
Mitchell described Hitler as a "good guy" and someone he would "go fishing with" based on his "personal research." He went on to make several antisemitic and homophobic comments. The fallout from the remarks continues to mount despite the written apology.
The MMA world's response was unforgiving. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz publicly condemned Mitchell’s remarks online, while UFC CEO Dana White addressed the situation before reporters could even ask.
"I’ve heard a lot of dumb, ignorant s--- in my day, but this one’s probably the worst," White said last Thursday. "When you talk about Hitler, he was responsible for the death of six million Jews and he tried to completely eliminate a race of people... Hitler was one of the most disgusting and evil human beings to ever walk the face of the Earth. And anyone that even tries to take an opposing position is a moron."
Despite White's strong comments, the UFC has refused to punish Mitchell for his offensive remarks. The Anti-Defamation League provided Express U.S. Sports with a statement from CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. "I’m aghast at this podcast interview. There are simply no words," Greenblatt wrote.
"In the span of just a few minutes, Mitchell manages to express antisemitic, homophobic, and transphobic sentiments. Then he goes on to praise Adolf Hitler’s genocide of the Jewish people while also denying the fact of the mass extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
"The notion of 'greedy Jews' and the idea of the Holocaust as a myth are classic antisemitism, and we hope the UFC will take immediate action to make clear that these ideas are noxious and have no place in the sport."