Sociolinguistic Artifacts

UFC Mixed Martial Arts fighter John Lineker is interviewed following his 07-13-16 victory in the promotion's first event in South Dakota, responding primarily in Portuguese. Lineker code-switches to English at the end of the interview to direct a message to the champion (U.S. mixed martial artist Dominick Cruz) of his weight division. His promise of "coming for" the champion demonstrates a performative illocutionary act: by directing these words to Cruz, he is simultaneously performing the very action of threatening and talking about this action.