UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic was one of the many athletes who posted in support of Black Lives Matter on Tuesday, and his reply to a commenter is drawing widespread praise from MMA fans.
Miocic participated in the #blackouttuesday hashtag trend on Instagram, which many people used to show solidarity with the Black community as protests happen all over the world over the death of George Floyd. Miocic shared the now-familiar black square, first with the #blm hashtag and later editing after some comments said that those participating in the trend should use the #blackouttuesday tag instead.
The post received a mixed response, with many people thanking Miocic for his support, and others finding fault with his declaration that Black lives matter. One commenter brought up how his support for the movement might be perceived among his fanbase, and Miocic took the opportunity to assert what’s truly important to him in life:
“I think you’ve forgot most of your fanbase is white. It shows in the comments,” wrote another Instagram user in a comment on the post.
Miocic replied, “all good..I’m not worried about my fan base. I’m worried about the world my daughter has to grow up in.“
In addition to being a UFC champion, Miocic is also a firefighter. He’s also competed in competitive grappling recently, donating his pay from his Fight 2 Win match to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which aims to “honor and remember America’s fallen fire heroes, to provide resources to assist their families in rebuilding their lives, and work within the fire service community to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries.â€
