Former UFC champions are privately expressing support for criticism of the sport’s growing political alignment while remaining unwilling to speak publicly, according to veteran MMA journalist Luke Thomas.
Speaking with Slate about the increasingly close relationship between the UFC and the Trump administration, Thomas revealed that several high-profile athletes have reached out to him behind the scenes.
“I have had former UFC champions actually write me relatively recently to tell me that they appreciated my coverage, but they don’t dare speak out,” Thomas said.
When asked why so few athletes are willing to publicly challenge the UFC’s political direction, Thomas pointed to the structure of the industry itself.
“What else?” he said. “This is an industry tightly controlled by a handful of people. You get sideways with them, you had better have a plan B.”
Thomas, who has covered mixed martial arts for nearly two decades, also described the political makeup of the sport as overwhelmingly conservative.
“The vast majority are either MAGA-aligned or at the bare minimum center-right,” he said. “It’s not ambiguous at all. It’s very clear and easy to understand.”
The discussion came as the UFC prepared to stage an event on the South Lawn of the White House, scheduled to coincide with Donald Trump’s birthday on June 14. Thomas argued that the event is not a new development but rather the culmination of a relationship that has been building for years.
“This is merely the final boss of a process that has been in place for a very, very long time,” he said.
According to Thomas, Trump received a level of exposure and validation from UFC events that few political candidates could ever hope to obtain elsewhere. He pointed to moments throughout Trump’s political rise when the future president was featured prominently during broadcasts, praised by commentators, and even celebrated by champions inside the cage.
“If you are a political candidate looking for third-party mainstream validation, where could you go to buy something that can reward you like that?” Thomas asked. “It’s not even available for sale.”
Thomas also expressed concern over reports that Trump purchased as much as $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group, the UFC’s parent company, around the same time the White House event was announced. He characterized the situation as a clear conflict of interest.
The veteran journalist further noted ongoing efforts to remove federal protections for boxers, protections that do not currently apply to UFC athletes. He argued that the issue is especially significant given the organization’s history of labor-related lawsuits brought by athletes.
Thomas, who described himself as politically out of step with much of the MMA community, admitted that watching the sport move in its current direction has been difficult on a personal level.
“I’ve had an existential crisis for five years,” he said.
Reflecting on the UFC’s continued embrace of Trump after the events of January 6, Thomas added, “When they trotted him out after January 6th, I couldn’t believe it.”
At the same time, Thomas emphasized that his concerns are not rooted in ordinary partisan disagreement.
“I’m not complaining that this is right-leaning,” he said. “I don’t care about that and I’ve never cared about that.”
Instead, he argued that the political influence surrounding the UFC has been used in service of a much larger objective.
“What I cared about is that those forces were marshaled to return the most extr3me political project of my life to power with devastating consequences for us all,” Thomas said.
As for whether the UFC could eventually move away from its close association with MAGA politics, Thomas appeared doubtful in the near term.
