Popular and divisive UFC commentator Joe Rogan is finding himself coming under fire after his critical comments about Bellator's 149 event last weekend. Rogan described the main event billed as "Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000' as 'the worst fight he's ever seen.
Both fighters appeared to be out of energy early on, leading to a sloppy and lethargic fight before Dhafir Harris (Dada 5000) appeared to fall over a lose the fight.
It later emerged that Harris suffered heart failure and remains in hospital. Even after this revelation, Rogan went on his podcast 'Fight Companion' and ripped into Harris for a lack of preparation:
Yeah, his heart stopped. It was filled with cheeseburgers and fried chicken and orange soda. He didn't train. There was no way he trained. I mean, he might have trained for a couple of days. You should have lost 40 pounds before. It's not like you didn't know you were going to do this.
Rogan's comments did not go down well with Harris' family, who described them as "overtly racist and offensive" in a statement on the BYB Extreme Fighting Series facebook page:
The Harris Family is appalled at the overtly racist and offensive comments directed at Dada 5000 by Joe Rogan who said in an interview that Dada's heart was filled with "cheeseburgers, fried chicken, and orange soda", mocking the family's statement issued the previous day.
We don't recall Mr. Rogan ever challenging anyone with this amount of vitriol and ignorant racial overtones, all directed to a man who is still hospitalized.
Mocking Dada 5000 with hurtful and racist comments is despicable and divisive and has no place in the sport of mixed martial arts or in our society.
They clarified that Harris did in fact lose 40 pounds in preparation for the fight, and prepared for the fight with professionalism hiring coaches and nutritionists to ensure that he was in condition for the bout.
Harris is expected to be released from hospital in the coming days.
