Aspen Ladd's coach has been forced to issue a public apology after he was accused of 'abusing' Ladd during her UFC Fight Night defeat to Norma Dumont.
Mixed martial arts fans took exception to the way that cornerman Jim West was talking to his fighter between rounds, berating her in a bid to get her back in the fight.
Clearly frustrated with his fighter's efforts, West looked very animated and at one point shouted "please tell me what you're doing" while in Ladd's face.
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When footage of their heated exchanges surfaced online, fans shared their concerns - former UFC champion Miesha Tate being one of them.
"This is ABUSE, what a douche," Tate tweeted.
"He will take credit for her win but never for her loss. Trust me she can only take so much of this abuse before it breaks her spirit."
But Tate wasn't the only one who wasn't exactly a big fan of West's, shall we say, coaching methods.
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The cornerman copped a fair bit of backlash on social media from other concerned onlookers too, slamming him for his "harsh words".
Now the man himself has apologised.
"Tonight was not our night," West said via Instagram.
"It's been our night many many times at the highest level but not tonight. I blame myself. Though it may not be my fault. it's not up for debate. I take all the blame. Yes after the first couple rounds I may have been a little harsh but I know aspen and at that time technical conversation was not in the cards being down 3 rounds.
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"Nonetheless I own it and I am sorry @aspenladd from the bottom of my heart [sic] I will continue to be better each time."
But while some people weren't be pleased with West's pep talk, others threw their support behind him.
Ex-UFC champion-turned-commentator Daniel Cormier came out and backed West, saying that he disagrees with the backlash coming his way.
DC tweeted: "This is what I am talking about right here, now a coach has to apologise for how he talks to his athlete? I disagree! I've heard much worse from my coaches and the coach knows how his athlete will respond. I prefer this to some of the other cornering we've seen lately."
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Ladd herself is yet to comment on the situation.
Her unanimous decision loss at the hands of Dumont now brings her record to 9 wins and 2 losses as she remains inside the top 10 in the official women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Featured Image Credit: UFC
