Aljamain Sterling has leapt to the defence of controversial star Andrew Tate by dismissing claims he is misogynistic as "s***".
Former kickboxer Tate has risen to stardom in recent years with his brash and controversial views gathering notoriety online and earning him a huge following on social media. However he has been banned on several mainstream social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Twitter for his contentious views on women including the suggestion they bear responsibility for sexual assault.
UFC champion Sterling was seen with the controversial figure this week which was received negatively by large groups of his fans who were disappointed with his association with Tate. However the 33-year-old has come to the defence of Tate in a series of responses, with one reading: "You know that s*** is fake right?
"The information is literally out there or you all can keep listening to the painted narrative that’s much easier to digest. I dug into and was relieved that they aren’t actually s*** people. And no, not everything they’ve said, I agree with." He later added: "We can go back and forth with 'full' length videos to discredit this, although I agree some things tow the line until you listen to it in its entirety to hear the full statement.
"But I really don’t care that much haha. If you want him as the bad guy, the content is there and vice versa." In his final response to a fan, Sterling concluded: "I appreciate the words. I don’t live by his moniker, but I understand some things he gets at and understand how some things are out of context in short format clips.
"That said, I don’t agree with everything from all people I’ve met or spoken with nor do I have time to vet everything." Tate's first burst into the spotlight was during his appearance on reality series Big Brother which was short-lived after a video emerged of him hitting a women with a belt. The woman later released a video confirming the couple had engaged in a sex game.
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Despite losing his growing platforms online, Tate has continued to spread his word to his fans and has denied the "lies" that have been spread to tarnish his name. "I am fully aware that not everyone is going to believe what I say, there is always going to be someone who disagrees," he said after being banned. "I have no problem with people disagreeing with me and I have no problem in being seen as controversial for some of the things I've said.
"This leads me on to the reason I believe these narratives have gained such a foothold in popular consciousness. I am probably the only individual who can be vilified to this level without taking personal insult and without being emotionally affected. I've allowed certain narratives to gain traction when I shouldn't have done."
