When the UFC suspended heavyweight fighter Matt Mitrione over comments aimed at transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox
![Fallon Fox (left) & Matt Mitrione (right) [Image Credits- @FallonFox on Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/09/bf532-16315410485716-800.jpg?w=500)
In the wake of his 19-second knockout win against Phil De Fries back in April 2013, what was meant to be a time of jubilation soon turned sour after the UFC suspended Matt Mitrione.
The suspension came after a series of comments about transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox were deemed to be insensitive.
Branding Fallon a "disgusting freak," Mitrione went on a rant about her inclusion in women's MMA.
"He was a man for 31 years... That's a couple years younger than I am. He's a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you think is going to change all that? That's ridiculous. That is a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak. And I mean that," said Matt Mitrione during an appearance on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour.
How did Dana White respond to Matt Mitrione's comments?
While the combat sports circuit may not be the most tolerant of spaces, some fighters tend to go overboard while speaking. Fighters know they're in trouble when UFC President Dana White admits that a line's been crossed. He did exactly that after Mitrione's verbal attack on Fallon.
"From the first day we talked, he handled the whole thing like a man. He said some ignorant comments that made him sound like a complete jack**s and a bigot. He knew what he said wrong. He's on suspension. We're dealing with this thing. He was fined too, enough to make him call me three times. I bet before words come out of his mouth from here to here, he's going to go, 'I better not say that, that's not good,'" said Dana White during the UFC on FOX 7 media day.
After his comments, Mitrione was slapped with a hefty fine. However, he was soon allowed to return to the fold after having repented for his transgressions.
Barely months removed from his suspension, Matt Mitrione returned to butt heads with Brendan Schaub in September 2013. Fighting on the same card as Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, Matt Mitrione was looking to build his winning streak to two fights. However, he lost the contests in the dying moments of the first round by way of submission.
He subsequently went on to fight in the UFC for three more years until 2016 before calling time on his career in the promotion. The year saw him jump ship to Bellator, which is where he fought until his release this year.