TUF Nations middleweight Tyler Manawaroa posted racist photo on Instagram prior to joining show

TUF Nations middleweight Tyler Manawaroa (10-0) advanced to the semifinals of the Canada vs. Australia themed show on last Wednesday's episode, but his ongoing…

By: Mookie Alexander | 10 years ago
TUF Nations middleweight Tyler Manawaroa posted racist photo on Instagram prior to joining show
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

TUF Nations middleweight Tyler Manawaroa (10-0) advanced to the semifinals of the Canada vs. Australia themed show on last Wednesday’s episode, but his ongoing success could be quickly overshadowed by a recently discovered racist picture posted on his Instagram account. Fellow TUF cast member, Canadian welterweight Kajan Johnson, tweeted the following image (in screen-shot format) to coach Patrick Cote today:

If the picture attached to the tweet does not appear, then click on this link.

Cote simply responded to Johnson with this:

Former UFC title challenger David Loiseau also chimed in with his disapproval:

Manawaroa is of Maori descent, originally from New Zealand but has otherwise lived and trained in Australia over the past several years. The photo, posted 18 months ago, has not been deleted from his account and is still accessible by clicking here.

Putting aside how much the photo was in poor taste and horrendous, this immediately becomes an issue of why UFC officials did not see this prior to selecting Manawaroa to the season’s cast. It’ll be interesting to see what the UFC does, if anything, to Manawaroa now that this has surfaced.

Share this story

About the author
Mookie Alexander
Mookie Alexander

Mookie is a former Associate Editor for Bloody Elbow, leaving in August 2022 after ten years as a member of the staff. He's still lurking behind the scenes.

More from the author

Bloody Elbow Podcast
Related Stories