Brandon Moreno’s cornerman and UFC fighter Marcelo Rojo sparked controversy two days before his friend’s title rematch with flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 in Glendale, AZ, with a few posts on social media.
Rojo posted a series of pictures on his Instagram page with a filter that gave Figueiredo a monkey face. Calling Brazilians “monkeys” are a racist insult usually seen in the soccer world for decades in Rojo’s home country of Argentina, and it drew outrage from Figueiredo’s team. Wallid Ismail, manager for the champion, posted the images on his social media calling for “every racist” to be “banned from the sport.