UFC fighter Israel Adesanya has come under fire for mocking a teen who jumped off a boat into shark-infested waters.
Cameron Robbins, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate from Louisiana, jumped off the Blackbeard’s Revenge dinner cruise ship off the coast of the Bahamas and was last seen on May 24.
Robbins reportedly jumped off the ship on a dare, and a search for the missing teen was suspended last week.
Adesanya, a two-time UFC middleweight champion, had an initial glib reaction to the presumed tragedy.
“‘It’s a prank bro’ era. #darwinism,” Adesanya wrote on Wednesday night in response to a tweet about the story.
Adesanya ultimately sent a more compassionate tweet early Thursday morning.
“Damn… I hope they find him,” Adesanya wrote. “But still just sad s–t really.”
UFC fighter Israel Adesanya wrote “‘It’s a prank bro’ era. #darwinism,” after Cameron Robbins went missing.stylebender/Twitter
Cameron Robbins went missing after jumping overboard a ship in the Bahamas.WBRZ
Cameron Robbins pictured in his grandma’s Facebook post.Mary Robbins/Instagram
Cameron Robbins pictured on his friend’s Instagram.Virginia Moore/Instagram
Cameron Robbins played high school baseball in Louisiana.Cameron Robbins/InstagramThe responses to Adesanya’s initial tweet ranged from piling on the mockery and concurring that it was a case of Darwinism to people who were upset that the UFC fighter was taking a tragedy so lightly.
“Damn, Izzy. Bad idea for the young guy but surprised you’d care enough to mock him when he’s already met his ultimate fate,” one user wrote.
“Very empathetic for his family, well done,” another Twitter user admonished.
A third user called for more active parenting in the age of social media trends gone wrong.
UFC star Israel Adesanya at the No Limit Fight Night in Australia on May 24, 2023.Getty Images
Israel Adesanya (l.) fights Alex Pereira (r.) at UFC 287.AP“The truth is we as adults need to grasp how social media, particularly TikTok, is influencing kids to perform acts just like this or worse for ‘likes’ or going ‘viral,’ It’s a serious matter that will only worsen until these platforms incorporate plausible restrictions,” tweeted a user with the handle astroisla.
Robbins was celebrating his graduation from University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, and was on a senior trip with teens from other schools who were staying at Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau.
While the Coast Guard said that Robbins fell overboard, witnesses told the outlet WAFB that Robbins jumped overboard on a “dare.”
The Coast Guard said in a press release on Saturday that it scoured 325 square miles of water before suspending the search.
Kevin George, the director of University Lab School, spoke about Robbins, who played high school baseball, as a model student.
“He’s an athlete … great smile, great head of hair,” George told WBRZ.
“Just one of the kids you’re so proud of when they cross the stage.”
