UFC welterweight [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] on Monday issued a public apology for his past use of the N-word and vowed not to use it again.
Perry, who in 2018 said he was allowed to use the slur because a DNA kit revealed him to be 2 percent African, indicated in a tweet that the motivation for his apology was wanting to do better for his newborn son.
“I know some won’t care but some might appreciate this. This is for my son and me as a son to be different than my father. Also black history month,” Perry wrote. “I would like to apologize for any time I ever said n***a , [sic] plain and simple you won’t hear it from me anymore.”
Perry accompanied his apology with the hashtag #NoDisrespect.
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Perry has been caught on camera multiple times using the N-word, most recently last summer in the immediate aftermath of punching an older man in a restaurant altercation. He’s also openly used the N-word on social media, including in a spat with actor Michael Jai White, who is Black.
Fatherhood could be having a positive effect on Perry. He and girlfriend Latory Gonzalez announced the birth of their son, Ocean, on Jan. 6.
Perry, 29, has fought for the UFC since August 2016. He’s 7-7 with the promotion and has lost three of his past four fights, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Tim Means at UFC 255.
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