UFC Bans Photographer Who Called Female Fighter Cris Cyborg a ‘Dude’

Photographer Mark Aragon has reportedly been banned from working UFC matches after calling female fighter Cris “Cyborg” Venâncio a “dude,” on social media.

Aragon posted a photo of Cris Cyborg to his Instagram account with a caption saying, “This dude is tough as hell. That being said at the press conference he said Holly was the first one to make his nose bleed.”

Cyborg quickly replied to the comment slamming Aragon, who works with fighter Holly Holm, and accusing him of 6being transphobic.

View this post on Instagram

It is not acceptable for an official representative of @hollyholm @jacksonwink_mma to call me transgender following my Fight. Their official photographer was given a backstage credential to attend the @UFC and I expect an apology or their ability to get credentials for future UFC events to be affected by these actions. @ma2_media 🇷🇷🇷🇷🇷🇷 Não é aceitável que um representante oficial da @hollyholm @jacksonwink_mma me ligue transgênero na sequência da minha luta. Seu fotógrafo oficial recebeu uma credencial de bastidores para participar do @UFC e espero que uma desculpa ou sua capacidade de obter credenciais para futuros eventos do @ufc_brasil sejam afetadas por essas ações.

A post shared by Cris Cyborg C⭐️B (@criscyborg) on Jan 1, 2018 at 9:07am PST

“It is not acceptable for an official representative of @hollyholm @jacksonwink_MMA to call me transgender following my Fight,” Cyborg wrote. “I expect an apology or their ability to get credentials for future UFC events to be affected by these actions.”

After Cyborg’s criticism, UFC issued a statement condemning Aragon’s rhetoric and banning him from working future matches, Awful Announcing reported:

‘UFC is aware and troubled with the recent statements made by a social media representative from the JacksonWink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico as it concerns women’s featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg,’ the UFC statement read.

‘UFC does not condone or tolerate the remarks that were used. The organization has reached out to the JacksonWink team to inform them that the individual in question will not be granted access for future events.’

Aragon later apologized for the comment:

I am embarrassed by my actions & I sincerely apologize to @criscyborg and her friends, fans, & most importantly her family for posting such an ugly misrepresentation of a hard earned championship retention I also apologize to the members of team JW effected by the insincere post pic.twitter.com/ySueTtyyGx

— Mark Aragon (@markaragonmedia) January 1, 2018

But on his Instagram account, Aragon went on to note that Cyborg’s camp has also engaged in trash talk and unfairness.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bda6c4Un_Ht/

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.