VICE has finally uploaded its documentary on Andrew Tate, titled: The Dangerous Rise of Andrew Tate. It is a project that took the media outlet several years to finish. In this, they cover the controversial social media star’s life in depth.
One of the most interesting parts of the documentary is the ‘real-life MMA club’ that the Tate brothers have.
The Tate brothers and their associates have a club named ‘The War Room’. It is basically an educational network of people around the world that have meetings, both online and in person. Those who subscribe to the program can attend the various summits hosted by the Tates.
The VICE documentary shows us such a meeting, where attendees paid a hefty price to attend a ‘workshop’ type conference. However, when they arrive at the summit, they are asked to compete against professional mixed martial artists in a nationally televised event.
In the documentary, it is shown that Tate is trying to persuade people on the spot to get in the ring. He is also shaming those who opt not to compete on a whim.
Even the VICE reporter Matt Shea competed in MMA and predictably lost.
The idea has received criticism since an average joe can seriously injure himself while trying to compete against a pro. Especially considering there’s no actual training before the bout. Tate whimsically directs his war room customers that they can only blame themselves if they’re physically unprepared.
Tate has previously talked about this on one of his ‘Emergency Meetings’.
He talked about luring his subcribers for business seminars but when they arrive, they’re given a one day’s notice to compete. He did this to toughen up his subscribers, calling it a “coming of age event”.
He told the attendees that “Your chance of survival is zero,” and that he wanted them to display “true bravery”.
In the clip, his brother Tristan says that they had “safety experts on site” and that the whole event was organized by TUF 17 alumnus Luke Barnatt. The War Room even did a promo for this event.
Despite the arrest and the documentary, Tate still has a sizeable fan following though. His supporters include prominent MMA fighters and figures including Jake Shields, Darren Till, Kelvin Gastelum, and others.