Opinion: Because Fighting Beats the Alternative

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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A number of public events have just been cancelled or postponed in my native Melbourne, Australia. Among them are the international comedy festival, the Formula One Grand Prix, the Download Music Festival and the Melbourne Fashion Festival. A climate change rally I was planning to attend was axed an hour before it was supposed to kick off, while a 15k run for which I’d signed up in late March was also jettisoned. The firm I work for in my day job is currently weighing the possibility that all employees will have to work from home until further notice—this after already sending me home to work remotely with a head cold earlier in the week.

My life, like the lives of literally billions of others around the globe, has been impacted by COVID-19. Personal and professional engagements have been put on ice, with precautions—regularly washing one’s hands with soap and hot water, implementing social distancing—being drilled into me by my employer, my social circle, the government and my family. Like many people, I’ve been alarmed by the pandemic and the prospect of navigating the next few weeks and months, but I’ve found comfort in the swiftness and vigilance of cautionary measures.

It’s utterly bizarre to me to observe the Ultimate Fighting Championship move forward with staged events, even while its counterparts—Bellator MMA and One Championship among them—have followed the example set by nearly every other major American sports league by pulling the plug on upcoming shows.

UFC President Dana White on Thursday appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter to confirm his company’s decision to push ahead with shows in Brazil and London (since “relocated”) while announcing plans to relocate its Ohio and Oregon shows to its Apex headquarters in Las Vegas. In between dubiously citing the UFC’s record on health and safety and humble bragging about being in contact with President Trump, White insisted that the organization was “looking out for the health and safety of [its] fighters and fans” before claiming it had also been in contact with “most” of the rostered fighters, who wanted to continue competing despite the risk.

Since then, the suggestion that the athletes are choosing to compete and the UFC is somehow being benevolent by letting them do so has been amplified by a number of the sports powerbrokers and media outlets. Influential manager Ali Abdelaziz took to Twitter to insist that “the show must go on” and that this “is what [fighters] do,” with several of the fighters in his stable—including UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and former champions Fabricio Werdum and Frankie Edgar—following suit. Fellow agent Malki Kawa likewise argued that “not one fighter is being forced [to fight],” while ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported “these guys really do want to get in there and fight … this is what they like to do.” Analyst Daniel Cormier decided to chime in during the UFC Fight Night 170 broadcast to echo the sentiment, appearing to criticize Bellator’s decision to postpone its Connecticut show at the 11th hour because “those fighters wanted to fight” and praising the UFC’s resolve in following through with scheduled bouts in a separate tweet.

The image being sold is of fighters heroically embarking on international flights, setting up camp in foreign countries, interacting with hotel staff and commission officials before exchanging bodily fluids with their opponent in empty arenas and potentially being barred from flying back home, all because fighting is their life and everything else is secondary. It’s of a singular desire to compete, no matter the risks associated with that course of action. It’s of dedicated company men and women in lockstep with their employer’s desire to continue pumping out content, common sense be damned.

It’s garbage. The reality is that fighters are opting to compete for the same reason that they fight injured or cut dangerous amounts of weight to make bouts on short notice: Because it’s the only way they make money and because the UFC punishes fighters whose regard for their physical wellbeing in any way compromises the promotion’s business interests. It is economic coercion packaged as informed consent, a smokescreen to legitimize the UFC’s bullheaded and reckless pursuit of profit during a global crisis.

This will continue until it is thwarted by government decree, because fighters—with very few exceptions—are members of the precariat class. To borrow a quote from economist Guy Standing, their labor is instrumental (to live), opportunistic (taking what comes) and precarious (insecure). Their decisions are mediated by a hegemonic and oppressive culture that says they must always be ready to adapt to the UFC’s directives and any reluctance to do so is indicative of “not wanting it enough.” Their needs—on weight cutting, on compensation and on organizing—have been studiously ignored by the UFC for two decades; the notion that they suddenly have the ear of the UFC is cynical and disingenuous.

The UFC could do the responsible thing and postpone its events. It could compensate fighters slated to compete, utilizing its enormous financial resources for something other than paying dividends to shareholders. It could follow the example of nearly every other major sports and entertainment company across the United States, including Bellator. Instead—even as flagship shows like the upcoming UFC Fight Night 171 disintegrate before its eyes—the organization is pushing ahead, trying to coordinate short-notice replacements while entire cities and states declare a state of emergency.

That has nothing to do with the fighters “choosing” to fight. The notion that their needs are in any way driving the decision-making process is fraudulent, as are the individuals and organizations who push this narrative for their own agendas.

Jacob Debets is a law graduate and writer from Melbourne, Australia. He is currently writing a book analyzing the economics and politics of the MMA industry. You can view more of his writing at jacobdebets.com.