UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell says he is “definitely not a Nazi,” backing away from antisemitic comments that he made on a podcast that drew widespread criticism.
The featherweight also praised Adolf Hitler and denied the Holocaust during his podcast appearance, in addition to making homophobic comments.
“I’m sorry I sounded insensitive,” Mitchell wrote on Instagram on Saturday. “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.”
UFC president and CEO Dana White called Mitchell’s podcast remarks “dumb and ignorant.” White said the UFC let Mitchell know what he said was unacceptable, but that the organization would not take any disciplinary action, citing Mitchell’s freedom of expression.
In his Instagram post, Mitchell promised to be more considerate in the future.