Following a recent Twitter spat with Aljamain Sterling, UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrand found himself the target of allegations of racism
For Garbrandt, the situation which had arisen from a simple private message sent to Jamaican bantamweight Sterling was uncalled for.
According to “No Love” Sterling had previously made inflammatory comments about him and sent a screenshot to the 29-year-old in order to address the situation. While an exchange in messages culminated in a full on Twitter spat, it was Garbrandt’s use of the word “boy”, a term which UFC lightweight king Conor McGregor was publicly scrutinized for previously, which drew heat.
Garbrandt guested on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. While speaking to host Ariel Helwani, the 135-pound king addressed the Sterling incident:
“I don’t like that guy,” Garbrandt said. “He got all mad because over a year ago I told him that he was overrated. So the guy starts running his mouth and I see a TMZ report that he said he was going to kill me. So I was like, ‘Oh you’re going to kill me?’ “So I took a screen shot and I sent it to him in a DM and he acted like a little bitch and that’s what he is.”
Garbrandt also addressed his “boy” comment, assuring he didn’t realize the negative connotation of it, and admitting that another word might have been better.”
In retrospect, Garbrandt’s use of the term “boy” could not have come at a worse time. McGregor’s expression “dance for me, boy” to Floyd Mayweather Jr. caused a stir among some in the African American community who were offended by the negative association of the term with slavery:
“I should have called him a little bitch, not ‘boy’, I didn’t know that it was politically incorrect. I got a shirt that says ‘Hanging with the boys’, I call everybody ‘boy’. You know, ‘what’s up, boy’, I didn’t know that it was politically incorrect.”
“I am not in the least bit racist. I have a sister that’s married to a black guy. I have a niece that is a mixed (race) child.”
As for Garbrandt’s sentiment towards Sterling following their spat, things could not be further from sweet:
“For him to go out there and try to ride off that fame, I told that fool that the next time I see him I’m going to f*ck him up,” Garbrandt said.
“Next time I see him he better have his hands up.”
