The Acceleration of Martial Arts Fascism

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan and Mike Mahaffey connect a month of far-right imagery in combat sports: Nazi salutes and a swastika flag at a kickboxing event in Orlando, an ADCC finalist with a history of posting Nazi salutes, and a Tatami gi pulled over SS-style lightning bolts. They argue this keeps happening because the sport keeps making excuses for it, and that fans can change that by being deliberate about who gets their money.

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👥 Featuring:
- Steve Kwan — https://bjjmentalmodels.com
- Mike Mahaffey — https://instagram.com/oldbastardbjj

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🧠 Topics Discussed:
- Nazi salutes at a Paul Miller kickboxing fight
- Josh Saunders' ADCC final loss to Victor Hugo
- Tatami's Autsiders gi and its SS-style bolts
- Turning Point USA on the UFC BJJ mat
- Fuji BJJ's event conduct policy
- Voting with your dollars in jiu-jitsu
- Buying local in a K-shaped economy

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📖 Chapters:
00:00 — A month of hate in fight sports
04:10 — Paul Miller's kickboxing salute
06:37 — Josh Saunders in the ADCC final
08:26 — Tatami's Autsiders gi controversy
14:46 — Josh Saunders' coaching business
17:29 — Voting with your wallet in BJJ
20:14 — Sports have always been political
23:02 — Turning Point USA on UFC BJJ mats
27:39 — Fuji BJJ's event conduct policy
34:53 — How the far right gets normalized
37:47 — Finding ethical jiu-jitsu coaches
40:10 — Far-right versus far-left threats
42:14 — The mood on the ground in the US
45:45 — Fascism and incompetent loyalists
50:39 — Local spending, K-shaped economy