In a pointed social media critique, former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres has called out UFC CEO Dana White for what he perceives as inconsistent treatment of controversial statements made by UFC athletes.
Torres, who faced disciplinary action in 2011 for an inappropriate tweet about assault, highlighted the apparent disparity in the UFC’s handling of recent inflammatory comments made by featherweight Bryce Mitchell regarding Adolf Hitler.
In 2011, Torres was temporarily released from the UFC after posting: “If a r*pe van was called a surprise van more women wouldn’t mind going for rides in them.” At the time, White was unequivocal in his response, telling Sports Illustrated, “There’s absolutely nothing I could say to make any sense of that.”
However, when Mitchell recently made statements on his podcast praising Hitler and making antisemitic remarks, White’s response, while condemning the comments as “beyond disgusting,” did not result in any disciplinary action.
Torres took to social media to highlight this contrast, posting: “If a r*pe van was called a Hitler van Dana White wouldn’t mind going for a ride in it. #hypocrisy #danawhite #arielhelwani #joerogan #FreeSpeech #UFC”
Following his 2011 incident, Torres was reinstated after issuing a public apology and taking concrete actions by visiting crisis centers in the Chicago area. Similarly, Mitchell has recently apologized for his statements, saying he “sounded insensitive” and “was not trying to offend anybody.”
Torres, who was once regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound competitors in the sport, concluded his professional career in 2017.
