Here’s what Yoel Romero says about what he said in the octagon after Machida win

Yoel Romero

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – To many on social media, it sounded like UFC middleweight Yoel Romero was using his platform to spread an intolerant message following tonight’s headliner at UFC on Fight Night 70.

But Romero (10-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) denied making an anti-gay statement after his win over ex-champ Lyoto Machida (22-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC) and said, “My expressions are always going to be about love.”

It seemed the opposite was true if Romero, a native Spanish speaker, said what was heard by many in his post-fight interview. Some heard the 38-year-old as saying, “Go for Jesus, not for gay Jesus.”

Given Romero’s opening comments, in which he stated, “What happened to you, USA? What happened to you? What’s going on,” many online inferred that he was taking a swipe at the recent legalization of gay marriage in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Romero, however, cited his faith as the reason he would never make such an attack. At the post-event press conference at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., opening a statement with an apology for “a misunderstanding.”

“What I was trying to say in the octagon was look for the American dream,” he said via translator. “There was a misunderstanding about gay marriage, and I want to say something.

“God told Maria Magdalena, ‘You’re a prostitute. Go and don’t sell anymore,’ and he told her with love. Who am I to judge anybody? Even though I didn’t refer to that, even though there was a misunderstanding, I will tell you something. God made man to be free. Anybody can do whatever they want. I wouldn’t be the type of person to critique anybody. I’ve got to live with myself first. Be a better person to be able to love people.

“I didn’t refer to anybody. What I was trying to say, (was the) United States, thank you for giving me the American dream. There’s no better country in the world, because it is blessed by god. It is in the dollars that this country was made by Christian people. That means it’s blessed by god.”

Asked by MMAjunkie if his statement came as the result of the immediate controversy generated online by his post-fight interview, Romero said, “Yeah, I was told there was a misunderstanding on social media, so I wanted to clarify.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 70, check out the UFC Events section of the site.