Listen

Description

A fighter compared to a Sean Strickland–Colby Covington “love child” has reignited debate about the state of combat sports. Between bigoted outbursts, Saudi money reshaping boxing, and UFC’s long-term deals, many fans and observers are asking whether the sport has crossed a line that it can’t come back from.

In this video, we break down why MMA feels lost, how promoters tolerate behavior that alienates mainstream audiences, and what it means for the future of the sport. We also ask a hard question: has the UFC become something that no longer belongs to its fans, but instead to those who profit most from outrage?

If you care about the culture of combat sports and the direction the UFC is heading, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Subscribe to the channel for more honest political and cultural analysis of combat sports.

Learn more, and join in on the conversation on Luke’s Substack: https://lthomas.substack.com/

Chapters

00:00 Strickland-Covington clone

00:40 Bigoted fighter comments

01:08 Saudi boxing takeover

01:41 UFC long-term deal

02:03 Sport no longer ours

02:43 Media ignores corruption

03:24 Fans either leave or cheer

04:08 Experiment with MMA’s future

04:59 Who the UFC attracts now

05:25 Long-term consequences

05:46 Pushback doesn’t matter

06:30 Walking away from the sport

06:50 Biological wiring nonsense

07:34 Final thoughts