The execs who steered the UFC from freak show to billion-dollar property are trying the same with a new skateboarding league – by partnering with the go-to streaming site of the rightThe Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Championship Tour made a thrilling return last month in Chicago. The event showcased some of the world’s best skateboaders, including Brazilian Olympic silver medalists Kelvin Hoefler and Rayssa Leal, both of whom captured titles to kick off the 2023 season.The season-opening event marked the latest initiative by Thrill One Sports & Entertainment group, whose portfolio that includes popular motorsport events such as Nitro Circus and Nitro Rallycross, as well as a variety of television shows. The company is co-owned by former UFC owner Lorenzo...
Statements barely addressing an unarmed black man’s death are closer to obligation than any commitment to social justiceOn Saturday, five days after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota, the NFL spoke out. It released a short statement by its commissioner, Roger Goodell, offering his condolences to the Floyd family, stating the “urgent need for action” without identifying what that action might be, addressing “systemic issues” without specifying what those issues were. The words “police”, “black” and “racism” were not mentioned. It was a word salad, reading like the cryptic statement of a surly 61-year-old teenager, fed through the yoghurt pot of a corporate communications department, and spat out on to the internet in a shareable meme format.The...
The final event of the UFC’s 25th anniversary year served as a proper example of how the promotion has made it this farWhen it opened for business in 1993 the Ultimate Fighting Championship was designed to disrupt.Challenging basic conventions about traditional martial arts this is exactly what the UFC did in its opening act, and from that point forward the company has operated at its best approaching the margins where most people would see only chaos and controversy. Related: Jon Jones stops Alexander Gustafsson in three to win UFC light heavyweight title Related: How Jon Jones sparked UFC 232's 'atypical' move from Vegas to LA Continue reading...
Gamesmanship? Maybe. But the unbeaten Dagestani had no time for his tardy opponent ahead of Saturday’s UFC title showdownKhabib Nurmagomedov wasn’t about to wait for the pomp and circumstance of a video package to accompany him to the stage.He certainly wasn’t going to wait for Conor McGregor to show up. Related: UFC ignores Conor McGregor's troubles as it targets Nurmagomedov payday Related: Why the UFC's 'sportswashing' of Chechnya’s dictator is a problem Continue reading...
The presence of Ramzan Kadyrov in the front row of the UFC’s first show in Moscow highlights a troubling link between the Chechen strongman and the world’s largest MMA promotionOn Saturday 15 September, Ramzan Kadyrov walked into Moscow’s Olimpiyskiy Stadium to watch the evening’s fights. Dressed in beige jeans and a white t-shirt with a matching jacket, the notorious Chechen strongman was surrounded by three of his most loyal henchmen – one of whom has been accused of torture and another of plotting an assassination – as he made his way to the front row of the 35,000-capacity arena. Seated just a few feet away from the cage, Kadyrov and his cronies watched the evening’s fights in an entirely new...