Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage during the live telecast of the 94th Academy Awards. The MMA community came up with hilarious memes in reaction to the altercation between Smith and Rock.
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou took a jibe at people who condemned his wrestling, using an image of Smith slapping Rock.
ESPN's Marc Raimondi compared the Oscars fiasco to a pro wrestling bout between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels.
American comedian Judd Apatow said the slap could have been life-threatening for Rock. Taking a dig at Apatow, Raimondi wrote:
"Tell me you’ve never watched a real fight without saying you’ve never watched a real fight"
Chamatkar Sandhu of BT Sports compared it to Nate Diaz's iconic slap on UFC president Dana White:
Bantanweight contender Chito Vera also compared it to Diaz's 'Stockton Slap'.
UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad took a dig at Colby Covington after 'Chaos' was allegedly attacked by Jorge Masvidal outside a Miami restaurant. 'Remember the Name' wrote:
"Colby and Chris rock crying with eachother “but It was just business”"
The rest of MMA Twitter also came up with humorous memes on the altercation between Smith and Rock.
Chris Rock declined to file a police report against Will Smith
Chris Rock was presenting the documentary featuring Oscar when he cracked a joke at Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock joked about Jada's shaved head, comparing it to Demi Moore's look in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane.
Smith walked up to Rock on stage and slapped him, who appeared to be confused about the incident. Upon returning to his seat, Smith shouted:
“Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
Watch the incident below:
Smith won the actor in a Lead Role Oscar later that night for his performance in King Richard. He issued a teary-eyed apology during his speech.
Chris Rock has reportedly refused to file a report on Will Smith after the incident. The official statement from the Los Angeles Police Department read:
"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”