10 MMA Stars Who Caused A Political Storm

Check out 10 MMA stars who made a splash in politics – for better or worse:

The post 10 MMA Stars Who Caused A Political Storm appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The rise of the internet and social media, together with the explosion of mixed martial arts (MMA) as a major global sport, has meant that today’s fighters are under intense scrutiny not just in the cage, but at all times – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As such, some fighters have managed to ignite a storm with politically motivated remarks and motivations, while others have infamously gone as far as to rub shoulders with some of the world’s most powerful and influential leaders.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at 10 MMA stars that have courted controversy and hit the headlines by stepping out of the Octagon and into the all-too-often murky waters of politics – for better or worse.

tim kennedy twitter

Tim Kennedy

Kennedy captured global media attention earlier this month when he became the willing participant in a demonstration about the controversial interrogation technique known as ‘Waterboarding.’

Kennedy, a special-forces soldier and ex-UFC contender, live-streamed himself being waterboarded off-and-on for 40 minutes in an attempt to prove that it was not a form of torture, and instead was simply just ‘uncomfortable’.

There was a political motive behind the demonstration though – to support Gina Haspel, who was coming under fire for having overseen ‘black-sites’ in which waterboarding had been used during the ‘War On Terror.’

“Right now, an amazing hero has been appointed to be director of the CIA and because of that, some of the things she has done are being attacked,” Kennedy wrote alongside the video feed.

If I can change one person’s mind about what torture is and what I would do to protect American freedom, I will do this for years.”

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MMA Legend with Ties to Putin, Trump Approached by FBI Ahead of Bellator Fight

Legendary mixed martial artist Fedor Emelianenko had some unusual additions to his pre-fight posse this week as he prepared to fight Frank Mir on Saturday night at Bellator 198: the Federal Bureau of Investigations…

Legendary mixed martial artist Fedor Emelianenko had some unusual additions to his pre-fight posse this week as he prepared to fight Frank Mir on Saturday night at Bellator 198: the Federal Bureau of Investigations…

“Stephan Bonnar and The Ultimate Fighter ruined the UFC for everybody.” -Phil Baroni

On this week of the MMANews Podcast, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni was the guest interview. As usual Baroni wasn’t one to mince words and was direct with his opinions on Donald Trump, his (non) friendship with tag team partner Ste…

On this week of the MMANews Podcast, “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni was the guest interview. As usual Baroni wasn’t one to mince words and was direct with his opinions on Donald Trump, his (non) friendship with tag team partner Stephan Bonnar, and thoughts on UFC President Dana White. His thoughts on pro wrestling […]

Francis Ngannou: Donald Trump is Shameful For America

Francis Ngannou has a problem with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Recently, Trump was accused of calling Africa a “sh*thole country” at a White House meeting discussing immigration. Republican Senator David Perdue has den…

Francis Ngannou has a problem with the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Recently, Trump was accused of calling Africa a “sh*thole country” at a White House meeting discussing immigration. Republican Senator David Perdue has denied those claims. Ngannou is from Africa and he didn’t take too kindly to the allegations. Speaking with Ariel […]

Ari Emanuel: 10 Things You Should Know About The UFC’s Big Boss

It’s now been well over a year since WME-IMG first bought the UFC for a staggering $4 billion, resulting in the Fertitta brothers stepping aside and Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel taking the reigns as the head honcho of the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. However, Emanuel has been surprisingly aloof since then, with UFC […]

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It’s now been well over a year since WME-IMG first bought the UFC for a staggering $4 billion, resulting in the Fertitta brothers stepping aside and Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel taking the reigns as the head honcho of the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion.

However, Emanuel has been surprisingly aloof since then, with UFC president Dana White remaining the man in charge of the day-to-day running of the company and the main point of contact for the media.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this means Emanuel is a shrinking violet though, as nothing could be further from the truth.

Like White, he is a bombastic, larger-than-life figure with a fascinating life story, and it’s his strategic vision that White now follows as they attempt to take the promotion, and indeed the sport, to new heights.

With that in mind, it’s high time we delved into Emanuel’s life to find out who he really is, what makes him tick, and what his plans are for the UFC’s future.

He’s The Real-Life Ari Gold

It’s almost impossible to have a conversation about Ari Emanuel without mentioning the fact that he was the inspiration for the unforgettable ‘Ari Gold’ character in the hit TV show, ‘Entourage.’

The story goes that the show’s creator Doug Ellin originally had another big-time Hollywood agent in mind as the inspiration for one of the characters in the show, until coming face-to-face with Emanuel (who was the show’s executive producer Mark Wahlberg’s agent at the time), leading to the realization that this in-your-face, fast-talking, foul-mouthed force of nature was the perfect blueprint for the role.

How like the real Emanuel is the version played by Jeremy Piven on the show though?

It depends on who you speak to, with some of those who know him claiming that it’s right on the money, while an ex-business partner claimed, “he can turn on Ari Gold when he needs to.”

Whatever the case, his association with the memorable TV show character has only been a positive for Emanuel’s career.

“[Emanuel] has made himself a larger-than-life figure in a town where everybody thinks they’re 50 feet tall,” Deadline Hollywood’s Dominic Patten once mused to ABC News.

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Gegald Mousasi May be Pulled from UFC 210 due to Trump’s Executive Order

Controversy ensued when President Trump signed an executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, effectively suspending admission of refugees into the United States  for 120 days. Political leanings aside, the order could affect the activity of a number of MMA fighters. UFC officials told Las Vegas Review-Journal: “We are aware of the […]

Controversy ensued when President Trump signed an executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, effectively suspending admission of refugees into the United States  for 120 days. Political leanings aside, the order could affect the activity of a number of MMA fighters. UFC officials told Las Vegas Review-Journal: “We are aware of the […]