The use of the n-word is a sensitive topic, especially within the United States. There’s an ongoing debate as to whether or not non-black people are permitted to say “n*gga,” but mixed martial artist and UFC fighter Mike Perry couldn’t care less. The athlete has been entangled in past controversies over his flippant use of the term, and on Thursday he found himself the target of backlash over a comment he made toward actor Michael Jai White.

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For those that may not know, Perry took a DNA and found out that he’s two percent African American. He’d reportedly already picked up using the n-word during his upbringing in Michigan, but now apparently he felt as if he was excused from criticism. Perry and Michael Jai White have been engaged in an ongoing online feud, and Perry reportedly referenced an old video of White and the late fighter Kimbo Slice training together. 

“Blood and bone more like b*tch ass n*gga @MichaelJaiWhite,” Perry tweeted. The backlash was swift, so he followed up with another message. “You have to make a big deal out of this. A white man said that to you because you straight up being one. Y’all can’t act like you don’t hear me. It was bullsh*t. He was trying to slander a real gangsta so people would think he more than an actor. For FLA we say FOH.”

The first-ever black female UFC fighter, Angela Hill, replied to Perry’s comments with disdain. “White people using ‘n*gga’ to insult a black person, I don’t give a f*ck what your intentions were, it ain’t right,” she tweeted. “The few times I’ve run into Perry during fights he’s seemed cool, this isn’t cool.” Did Perry cross the line?