Jared Cannonier clarifies thoughts on ‘disrespectful’ Brazilian fans
Shortly after Jared Cannonier chopped down Anderson Silva in the co-main event of UFC 237, he took a shot at the impassioned Brazilian fans in attendance, who had been feverishly booing him all night.
In case it didn't translate on the broadcast, this is how loud Jared Cannonier was booed by the Rio crowd.
It may be the loudest live crowd that I've heard at a UFC event that I've covered on location. pic.twitter.com/GvkA1uNqtv
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 12, 2019
Unsurprisingly, Jared Cannonier wasn’t particularly pleased with this reception. Speaking to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter post-fight, he opened up on his complicated encounter with the fans in Brazil.
Jared Cannonier very upset about the fans in Rio disrespecting him following his win over Anderson Silva pic.twitter.com/OAQ26YzGVD
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 12, 2019
”It was definitely disrespectful,” Cannonier said shortly after his victory (transcript via MMA Mania). “You know, I don’t take disrespect lightly. I don’t want to say anything that’ll get me assassinated, but one thing I will say is I’m not going to act like I like you if you don’t like me. So if that’s the way you wanna play it, if that’s the game you wanna play, if you wanna make an enemy out of me, I’m not the one you wanna be an enemy with. They got a millions of people here so they feel ballsy. One on one it’s a different story, they won’t be saying that.
”I understand the fans being upset that their guy’s lost,” Jared Cannonier continued. “But you start flipping me the bird and saying lord knows what in Portuguese, you could be calling me the N-word and I wouldn’t even know. Saying all sorts of stuff about whatever! I’m not going to sit here and act like it’s all good, because in my book that ain’t cool. You ain’t gonna disrespect me in my face and get away with it. You’re gonna know you just made an enemy out of me and I’m not going to be smiling in your face. If anything, I’m liable to give you a backhand.
”I’m not here to go to war with all of Brazil,” he said. “If anything, the opportunity to come here just expands my perspective. I love travelling, I love going to new places and seeing new people and different cultures, hearing the new language. … Brazilians have always been a prominent part of the sport. They’ve been integral to the sport if you ask me. I have the utmost respect for this country, especially since there’s a big disparity between the haves and have nots, and I have an affinity for the have nots.”
Do you think Jared Cannonier has a right to be upset?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/12/2019.
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Jared Cannonier UFC
