MMA As Politics

The sport of mixed martial arts has taken the world by storm in recent years and seen international acclaim under the promotional banner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. With each succeeding year, it seems that more and more martial artists flock to the sport with the hope of competing at its apex. This fanaticism is mimicked by fans who have become increasingly factionalized in favor of certain fighters and extremely partisan in their support. Much of this polarization seems to be driven by divisions along ideological lines that are rooted in conversative and right-wing politics.

As noted by The Guardian’s Karim Zidan, the “UFC has become synonymous with right-wing politics” and it seems that many of the promotion’s most prominent fighters mirror this dynamic. In recent years, some of the promotion’s biggest draws from Colby Covington and Khabib Nurmagomedov to Sean Strickland have been outspoken conservatives. This influence extends all the way to Dana White who has been noted, time and time again, to be a candid advocate of former U.S Republican president Donald Trump and modern republicanism.

UFC President Dana White (center left) pictured with former Republican president Donald Trump (center right) at a MAGA rally.
(USA TODAY/Website)

Outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it has also been noted by editorials like Global Sports Matter that MMA in general has a penchant for what it dubbed “extremist, right-wing political action.” Well-known fighters in Russia and Brazil have been noted to be some of the most ardent supporters of the right-wing, populist governments that are in power in said countries.

Explanations for Politicization of Sport

Now, while all of this is seemingly arbitrary at first glance, it raises the question of why so much of the combat sports world is inclined to champion conservative ideology. There are numerous possible answers to this question and much speculation has been made to that effect. Sports analyst Oliver Gadd hypothesizes that “the mindset of elite athletes and that espoused by right-wing thinkers may shed some light on why figures involved in sport tend to be largely right-wing even outside of MMA.” 

Right-wing political pundit and son of former Republican President Donald Trump, Eric Trump (center left), pictured with UFC Fighter Jorge Masvidal (center right) at a conservative rally.(MISSION SUBSTACK/Website)

Right-wing ideology centers around ideas of self-accountability, freedom of autonomy, and independence which directly correlate with the values of athleticism in many respects. Athletes, especially fighters, are taught to take responsibility for their losses in sport and are trained to know that only they alone can get the results they want athletically. This is a philosophy that translates easily into the political individualism of modern republicanism. The hypermasculine environment of mixed martial arts may also have something to do with this conservative divide in sport.

As noted by researcher Elizabeth Ralph-Morrow, “radical right voters, activists and party members are overwhelmingly male.” While this does not necessarily imply that masculinity lends itself to right-wing thinking, it does indicate a clear correlation. Given the highly masculine spaces that sports generate, especially combative sports like MMA; it is not surprising that right-wing ideology thrives in these environments.

Political Clashes In and Outside of The Octagon

With the coinciding rise of growing division between the left and the right in the political sphere, it will be interesting to see how and if fighters that support left-wing ideology will be able to break into mixed martial arts. One recent example of this would be Tyron Woodley who was a Black Lives Matter activist and UFC Welterweight Champion at one time while active in the sport. His pro-BLM stance came to a head with rival fighter and MAGA supporter Colby Covington at a press conference in the build-up to UFC Vegas 11.

Former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley (left) and rival fighter Colby Covington (right) pictured at a press conference prior to UFC Vegas 11.
(Youtube/Website)

In the conflict that ensued, the two political and athletic rivals hurled a slew of insults at each other over their opposing political stances. Now, while name-calling and arguments are not uncommon for UFC press conferences, what stands out about this conference is the political character of both the insults and the general back and forth between the two fighters. Covington repeatedly ripped into Woodley’s left-leaning pro-BLM stance while Woodley accused Covington of being a racist. One could even go so far as to say that the entire incident was more reminiscent of a political debate than your standard press conference.

Similar incidents have also occurred in recent months at press conferences for the former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland. Strickland has become notorious in the sport over the last six months for his right-leaning stances on political issues and his open willingness to not shy away from debate about his beliefs. This has stirred up much controversy among fans and media alike.

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland at a press conference in Australia just prior to UFC 293.(MMAWEEKLY/Website)

Conclusion

So, it is clear that politics is increasingly making itself known within the realm of combat sports. With fighters openly flaunting their affiliation and political entities and proudly supporting them, this politicization of the sport is clearly not going anywhere, anytime soon. This leaves one to wonder how this political aspect of the sport will affect it, its fans, and its fighters.