MMA opinion: Right wing, left hook: How politics took hold of the UFC

The UFC has never been more popular, but its growing political ties have made fight nights feel like something very different from pure sport.

3:30am on a Saturday night. It’s not easy being a UK MMA fan, but this is business as usual for those dedicated few.

You’ve set an alarm, or maybe completely shifted your sleeping pattern to be awake for the UFC’s big numbered event taking place somewhere in the States.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes offers his thoughts on how the political sphere has intertwined with the UFC.

The excitement is palpable. The first fight of the card might not have been what you hoped, but you’re awake now. Settled in. The lights in the arena darken and the camera centres on the walkway to the Octagon.

What MMA legend are they paying tribute to with such a prestigious entrance, normally reserved for the fighters themselves? The haze from the artificial fog settles and, through sleep-filled eyes, you see… the lumbering form of Donald Trump making his way to ringside.

Flanked by chosen disciples Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock, and of course the public face of the UFC, Dana White, the grandiose entrance inspires only confusion for anyone outside the sphere of American politics.

Being an MMA fan these days, it’s increasingly hard to escape the not-so-subtle endorsements of right-wing ideology littered throughout the sport.

And with a dystopian, Hunger Games-esque White House event planned for next year, it seems the UFC will only be leaning further into this dynamic.

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Trump’s shadow over the octagon

But whether fans like it or not, the history of the UFC is intertwined with Donald Trump.

In the early 2000s, at a time when MMA was famously described as “human cock-fighting” by the late Senator John McCain, the UFC was struggling to stay afloat.

Venues around the country were refusing to host events, and it was only a gamble taken by Trump to host one in his Atlantic City casino that gave the organisation a crucial foothold.

From there, the UFC has become one of the biggest and most profitable sports organisations in the world.

It should be no surprise that Dana White has spoken at the Republican National Convention twice to support Trump’s presidency, as well as offering multiple endorsements on social media. 

But more than that, the UFC as a whole has become the sport of choice for MAGA, a movement that prides itself on traditional masculinity.

Combined with a viewership largely made up of young, normally apolitical men, it’s hard to understate the influence this has on voting patterns.

What makes this influence so insidious is the veil of impartiality the UFC tries to uphold.

Dana White has claimed to be “not really even that political”, and describes politics as “gross” and “disgusting”.

While his actions fly in the face of those claims, any left-leaning voices, or simply those who don’t want the UFC to become a political rally, find themselves increasingly alienated from the sport.

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How fighters became political symbols

Aside from the political leanings of the UFC as a whole, a lot of this comes down to the fighters too.

And it’s impossible to talk about MAGA’s influence in the UFC without mentioning one name in particular: Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington.

In 2017, Covington was on a successful run in the welterweight division, but one that failed to garner him much media attention or fan recognition.

The frequently repeated story online is that he was on the verge of being cut from the organisation, so he adopted an outlandish, WWE-inspired persona - one infused with explicit support for Donald Trump and MAGA.

The heel turn was a success. It didn’t win him more fans, but it did get more fans talking, which led to a few unsuccessful (and quite frankly undeserving) cracks at the belt.

Covington’s relevancy in MMA is now ancient history, but he paved the way for other outspoken right-wing fighters.

Sean Strickland, who initially presented himself as an unpolitical everyman, has fully thrown his support behind MAGA, despite frequently taking swipes at the billionaire class that Trump perfectly encapsulates.

Also worth mentioning is Bryce Mitchell - a fighter who, more than anything, reflects decades of chronic underfunding in the American education system.

While he seems to have drifted away from Trump towards broader conspiracy theories, his viewpoints represent a side of the sport that is ignorant, intolerant and painfully misguided.

But ultimately, we don’t watch these individuals for their politics. We watch them because they put on fights that excite us.

Political insight isn’t to be gained from people who get punched in the head for a living, and if fighters want to express their views, they should be free to do so.

It’s the wider landscape of MMA, and MMA journalism, that makes the discourse one-sided and pushes voices like Luke Thomas and Karim Zidan firmly to the margins.

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When influence becomes power

Lastly, we move to Joe Rogan - the man with a mind so open to new ideas that his brain fell out. 

It can be tempting to believe Rogan was groomed by the Right in the same way many young men are. His principles often seem dictated by the last person he heard make a convincing argument.

But Rogan is in his 50s now and can no longer claim to be the curious outsider. He is firmly part of the establishment, and Dana White openly acknowledged his influence in the last election.

It’s often said that if White is the face of the UFC, Rogan is the voice. And when that voice is telling you to vote for Trump, there’s not much room left for interpretation, despite his insistence on portraying himself as the “enlightened centrist”.

The cost of being a fan

Anyway, the main event is on now. It’s 5:30am and I’ve got work in a few hours.

Like I said, it’s not easy being a fan of MMA in the UK. But it’s even harder when you’re subject to political indoctrination on every other card.

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