MMA Fighter Conor McGregor Caught Casually Firing Off Homophobic Slurs

Irish MMA fighter and well-known braggart Conor McGregor, who recently squared off with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., opened up his notoriously big mouth and was caught on tape using anti-gay slurs in casual post-fight conversation at an MMA match in Poland this weekend.

"Do you know what I'm saying? He was a faggot, and everyone knew he was a faggot," McGregor, who has a history of saying bigoted offensive statements and slurs, was caught saying, according to OutSports.

McGregor's proclivity for being publicly racist, homophobic, and misogynistic hit a fever pitch during his promotional tour for his match against undefeated Mayweather. The ring wasn't the only place for pulling punches. The two traded offensive barbs during the lead-up to the fight. McGregor referred to Mayweather, who is a man of color, as "boy," a common racist terminology used to belittle of black manhood, MMA Fighting and SB Nation reported at the time. In defending himself McGregor then said that it was ridiculous that he could be racist because he said he was "half-black from the belly button down," invoking the stereotype of the oversexualized black male body. Other words common to McGregor's parlance are "boy" and "bitch."

McGregor made headlines for his most recent homophobic remarks in Gdonsk, Poland on Sunday, but he wasn't even competing in the fight. Even without the atrociously insensitive remarks, it's likely that McGregor would have made some sort of press circuit anyway considering that it was his first return to a UFC event since losing to Mayweather in August. McGregor was a little too vocal in cheering on teammate Artem Lobov, who was fighting in the cage, according to CBS Sports MMA division. A video posted to Instagram by SportsCenter showed referee Marc Goddard seating Conor McGregor for attempting to be a fourth cornerman and yelling instructions to Lobov cageside. McGregor was eventually ejected from the cage area.

It's unclear why McGregor casually tossed around homophobic slurs but it it is clear that it appeared to come naturally to him. He may have been attempting to encourage his teammate, Lubov, or he might have been throwing a temper tantrum to elicit a response for his first appearance in a UFC ring since August. Either way, it might be time to call someone who exhibits racist, sexist, and homophobic behavior what they are.