UFC 279: Fans boo The Queen's tribute ahead of Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson clash (WATCH)
The UFC 279 PPV was held in Las Vegas on Sunday morning. The organisers paid tribute to The Queen, who passed away on Thursday. However, the fans in the arena booed the honour.
FollowFans were excited ahead of the UFC 279 pay-per-view (PPV), held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday morning in India). The event was headlined by the welterweight clash between Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson, which the former won via submission (guillotine choke). The bout lasted a couple of minutes and 52 seconds. The Ultimate Fighting Championship paid tribute to The Queen (Elizabeth II), the longest-serving monarch of Great Britain, who passed away last Thursday. A moment of silence was observed in her honour. However, fans in the arena booed it throughout, with some chanting 'USA, USA'.
Later, fans also took to social media, where one said, "I'm really mystified by this. Like…who thought a tribute was necessary at this event? At no point in the last two days did anyone on this planet wonder, 'My God, how is the UFC going to handle the news of the Queen's passing?' And yet, here we are."
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As fans disrespected the moment, former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was commentating during the event and said, "Us Americans are some savages." In the meantime, another fan noted on Twitter, "It's weird that the UFC would even acknowledge it. Was the Queen a big fan of mixed martial arts?"
Later, UFC shared a tribute to The Queen on its social media handles but turned off the comment section to avoid a storm of negative responses from the fans. However, it did not bar UFC legends from paying tribute to Elizabeth II, as UFC President Dana White, Cris Cyborg, Platinum Mike Perry, Megan Anderson, and Terrance McKinney were among them.
