The UFC tried to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II during last night's UFC 279 event - however, the gesture was not well received by fans.
On September 8, Buckingham Place announced that the longest-reigning British monarch died peacefully at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
In response, UFC officials chose to pay tribute to the late monarch during the UFC 279 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (September 10). Her Majesty's portrait was displayed on the big screen alongside a caption that read: "In memory of Queen Elizabeth II. 1926 - 2022."
However, instead of a moment's silence out of respect for the late queen's passing, videos show many fans inside the venue opting to boo and instigate a "USA! USA! USA!" chant.
Watch the moment below:Since the footage emerged and went viral, many social media users have taken to Twitter to express their frustration at the crowd’s "disrespectful" reaction.
One user wrote: "That’s so disrespectful why even post this ?? stop," and another said: "Two days after 9/11 the Queen had the US National Anthem played outside Buckingham Palace. Stay classy, UFC."
Although, other fans took to the social media platform to question why UFC paid tribute to the late monarch at the event in the first place.
One person stated: "I’m really mystified by this. Like… who thought a tribute was necessary at this event? At no point in the last 2 days did anyone on this planet wonder 'My God, how is the UFC going to handle the news of the Queen’s passing?' And yet here we are."
While another person questioned: "It’s weird that the UFC would even acknowledge it. Was the Queen a big fan of mixed martial arts?"
Following the tribute, the UFC posted the same picture to pay tribute to the late Queen, however, other users on the social media platform were unable to comment as the sporting brand disabled the function.
Additionally, many other sporting organizations, including the Premier League and EFL, decided to postpone all the weekend’s fixtures as well as any games scheduled to be played on Monday, September 19 - the day of Her Majesty's funeral.
As a mark of respect, fixtures due to be fulfilled next weekend, on September 17th and 18th, may also be in doubt after King Charles III confirmed that the state funeral will be a bank holiday.