"Did he clearly discriminate anyone" - Former UFC champion defends Demetrious Johnson against criticism over his comments about LGBTQ family members
A UFC star has come out in support of Demetrious Johnson after the latter received heat for his comments regarding his family. The individual asserted that 'Might Mouse' did not target anyone and just shared his honest opinion.
In a recent appearance on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast, Johnson opened up about his brother and sister being queer and how their family deals with it. The former UFC champion noted in a lighthearted manner that he may make jokes about his brother, but they all support him nevertheless, saying:
''I have a lesbian sister and a brother who likes men. It's a hard subject, I keep it real, I tell my brother all the time, I was like don't be come over here with that .... I told that to my kids too. But he's cool, he said it too...we knew he was gay to begin with, we didn't care. We still love him...'he's an adult, he has chosen to love a man, there's nothing wrong with it whatsoever."
Johnson's remarks about his brother didn't sit well with an X user named @TheMMALawyer, who criticized the 38-year-old, writing:
''Annnnnd just like that DJ sucks. God why does every fighter have a half brain man.''
This forced the person in question, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, to defend Johnson. Sterling claimed that the MMA legend should be allowed to share his honest opinion, writing:
''DJ sucks because he gave his opinion? Did he clearly discriminate anyone or a group? Did he spread hate? I’m trying make sense out this tweet and I can’t wrap my head around why he “sucks” and has “half a brain”.
As for the MMA scene, Johnson retired from the sport last year at ONE 169. Meanwhile, Sterling suffered a unanimous decision loss against Movsar Evloev at UFC 310.
When Demetrious Johnson advised Sean Strickland to change his approach inside the cage
Sean Strickland failed to reclaim his title after losing via unanimous decision to reigning champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312. This resulted in Strickland receiving criticism from the entire MMA community.
In response to Strickland's defeat, Demetrious Johnson posted a video on his YouTube channel, asking him to quit depending on his jabs and make some substantial changes, saying:
“I know I get called a Sean Strickland hater, but I’m not. I basically call it how I see it. Sean Strickland has a style where he would deviate from it...In order to get better at this sport, you have to take the time, swallow your pride and your ego and put yourself in a position where you’re going to force yourself to evolve and get better and learn new tools.'' [H/t: Bloody Elbow]
Check out the full video below: