Black UFC Fighter Teaches Media Lesson on Race by Introducing Them to His White Father

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A black UFC fighter urged racial unity by introducing reporters to his white father figure in a moment from a televised press conference that resurfaced online this week.

The video: Mixed martial artist Bobby Green, 33, called over his coach, Jacob Behney, on June 21 after a victorious lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN 11 in Las Vegas.

Addressing nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and riots, Green advocated another way.

  • “Right now at this time in our country, we are doing this whole ‘Black Lives Matter,’ everyone’s fighting, everyone’s looting. This is my father,” Green said, putting his arm around Behney.
  • Green, who grew up in foster care in Southern California because his biological father was incarcerated and his mother was addicted to drugs, said of Behney: “He’s been there since the beginning. He’s done everything. He lays his life down for me, and I lay down my life for him. I don’t judge any man on the color of their skin but the content of their character.”
  • “We’re here, we love. It doesn’t matter what color, it’s all about love,” he said. “You can’t beat hate with hate, you beat hate with love. Everyone out there, please stop fighting. Please, come together. We can’t beat it that way. With love.”

The reaction: Twitter users rediscovered the clip over the weekend, following a pair of deadly and headline-making shootings at protests late last month in Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

  • And Green’s message of colorblind love and unity went viral, reaching nearly 5 million views.

The reaction: Eric Weinstein, a podcaster and member of the “intellectual dark web,” said: “Stop telling us how much our parents & brothers and co-workers hate us. It’s untrue.”

  • While it was unclear who Weinstein was addressing, he has been broadly critical of how U.S. media, culture and politics deal with issues of race.

Self-help guru and former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson said, “It’s beautiful to see testimony to who we really are. On the other side of the haters there is so much love.”

Blaze Media president Gaston Mooney encouraged NBA superstar and Black Lives Matter advocate LeBron James along with “most of sports” to “take notes.”

By We'll Do It Live