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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Morally repugnant': Opposition spars with Labor in bare-knuckle boxing push
A row over a push for a bare-knuckle boxing event in WA ended in a full-blown shouting match during Question Time on Thursday as the opposition urged the government to step in and stop what it called a 'morally reprehensible' sport. The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, partially owned by former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Conor McGregor, has announced plans to bring a boxing event to RAC Arena on July 19, with the Combat Sports Commission confirming it had received a request. The WA government has distanced itself from the planned event but former sports minister David Templeman opened the door to it in February, amending regulations to recognise BKFC as a sanctioning body. According to BKFC rules fighters may only punch each other with unimpeded knuckles throughout five two-minute rounds. The opposition ramped up attacks on Thursday with shadow sports minister Peter Rundle asking whether Premier Roger Cook would 'show some leadership to prevent this morally repugnant event.' Loading Cook said it was 'not his cup of tea' but that the state was not providing any financial assistance to BKFC and that he trusted the Combat Sports Commission to provide advice on how the event could run safely. 'I can appreciate that, to the layperson, this sounds like people just getting in a ring and having a go. It is not,' he said. 'It is not my cup of tea, but the Combat Sports Commission has provided preliminary advice that anything of this nature requires at least two medical practitioners and requires the participants to be experienced and knowledgeable of the particular discipline.'
The Age
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
‘Morally repugnant': Opposition spars with Labor in bare-knuckle boxing push
A row over a push for a bare-knuckle boxing event in WA ended in a full-blown shouting match during Question Time on Thursday as the opposition urged the government to step in and stop what it called a 'morally reprehensible' sport. The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, partially owned by former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Conor McGregor, has announced plans to bring a boxing event to RAC Arena on July 19, with the Combat Sports Commission confirming it had received a request. The WA government has distanced itself from the planned event but former sports minister David Templeman opened the door to it in February, amending regulations to recognise BKFC as a sanctioning body. According to BKFC rules fighters may only punch each other with unimpeded knuckles throughout five two-minute rounds. The opposition ramped up attacks on Thursday with shadow sports minister Peter Rundle asking whether Premier Roger Cook would 'show some leadership to prevent this morally repugnant event.' Loading Cook said it was 'not his cup of tea' but that the state was not providing any financial assistance to BKFC and that he trusted the Combat Sports Commission to provide advice on how the event could run safely. 'I can appreciate that, to the layperson, this sounds like people just getting in a ring and having a go. It is not,' he said. 'It is not my cup of tea, but the Combat Sports Commission has provided preliminary advice that anything of this nature requires at least two medical practitioners and requires the participants to be experienced and knowledgeable of the particular discipline.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Chandler Finally Opens Up About ‘Baddy' Beatdown
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Mangled Mike has finally broken his silence. It has been 47 days since Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) superstar Paddy Pimblett destroyed Michael Chandler inside the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, at UFC 314 (watch highlights), and for the most part, 'Iron' Mike kept quiet other than a few motivational posts. Advertisement Well, today, Chandler has finally opened up about his stoppage loss. 'I feel like I couldn't get my rhythm. I couldn't get my range,' Chandler told MMA Junkie. 'Paddy fights long, he fights with his chin way up in the air, and he's pretty far away from you. Throws a lot of kicks to keep the distance, and I felt like I was just kind of getting settled in and obviously, took the knee to the face, and then got taken down, and that was the end of it. It's one of those deals where you learn. Hat's off to Paddy, he had a great gameplan, went out there and got the win.' Chandler has no regrets about taking the fight, even though he had a lingering knee injury that hindered him. 'I was coming off a knee injury that I needed to get some rehab on and some physical therapy and all that stuff,' Chandler said. 'It started feeling better, and I'm the kind of guy where I'd rather just go than sit around and wait, you know? Maybe that was the wrong decision, but I was moving around well in the training decision to take the fight pretty early was my decision and my decision alone.' Advertisement As for when the former Bellator champion wants to return, he is taking the summer off to enjoy being a fan of the sport but knows there are plenty of names for his next outing (including a Conor McGregor fight that he has teased). 'I'm definitely going to take a little bit of time off. I'm going to take the summer off,' Chandler said. 'I've already spoken to the UFC that, 'Hey, don't call me for any summer shows.' I will show up, I will be a fan, I will do some appearances.' 'I will be a part of the UFC brand, but I need to take a little bit of time off and heal my body up. Then we'll see what's next. There's obviously a ton of different names out there, ton of possibilities, and we'll see,' Chandler concluded. To checkout more MMA news and notes click here. More from
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate responds to U.K. rape charges: 'Never give in'
Self-described misogynist Andrew Tate sought to portray himself as a victim on Wednesday after British officials confirmed rape charges have been authorized against the MAGA-supporting influencer. 'The matrix is angry,' Tate wrote in a post on X. 'They do this to ANY man who fights against them. Never give up men. Never give in. Do not be scared. Strength and honor.' Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate — who were born in the United States and hold dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship — already face human trafficking charges in Romania as part of a separate criminal inquiry. British prosecutors announced Wednesday that the brothers faces a total of 21 charges, including rape and human trafficking, in the U.K. As The New York Times reported: British prosecutors said the brothers "would be extradited to the United Kingdom after the conclusion of separate criminal proceedings in Romania. Charges can be lodged against suspects only when they are physically in Britain." The brothers have denied the allegations against them in both Romania and the United Kingdom. Naturally, Andrew Tate, who's amassed a large following online by spewing rank bigotry — particularly toward women — sought the warm embrace of his hypermasculine horde through a conspiratorial social media post framing the U.K. charges as nothing more than an assault on true manhood. I have some better advice than "never give in" for the 38-year-old former professional kickboxer — and for men everywhere: Always get consent. And as an aside, that 'strength and honor' line Tate included in his social media response to the new rape charge appears to be faux-macho schlock pulled from a 'Gladiator' film. Various members of the Trump administration have publicly supported the Tate brothers, despite the allegations against them. And when the brothers visited the U.S. earlier this year, they were treated to a sort of hero's welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, a close ally of Donald Trump. The greeting caused division in the conservative movement, with some right-wing influencers noting the terrible optics. Florida's Republican attorney general has even opened a criminal investigation into allegations of sexually predatory behavior, showing there's more than a little intraparty uneasiness among Republicans when it comes the these two. One wonders how the president's allies will interact with the brothers going forward. Granted, conservatives have broadly coalesced around Trump, who's been found liable for sexual abuse and who's boasted about groping women without their consent, so sexual misconduct allegations may not deter too many of their MAGA-aligned supporters. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Anheuser-Busch taps UFC's Dana White for a new energy drink
With beer sales flatlining, Anheuser-Busch is looking beyond hops and toward Ultimate Fighting Championship's controversial boss Dana White to help them crack the growing energy drink category. Launching nationwide Wednesday is Phorm Energy, the company's newest energy drink. The non-alcoholic caffeinated beverage marks the first product stemming from Anheuser-Busch's previously announced partnership with White aimed at expanding into the $24 billion energy drinks category. Like similar products, Phorm Energy has zero sugar or artificial flavors, contains electrolytes and is naturally caffeinated from green tea extract. The drink comes in four varieties: grape, orange, blue, and 'Screamin' Freedom,' which is a mixture of blueberry, cherry and citrus flavors. A 16-ounce can costs $2.99. Beer sales have been declining for the past several years, falling again more than 1% in 2024 according to Brewers Association, as drinkers shift their preferences to spirits or increasingly ditch drinking. That has forced Big Beer to search for alternatives, including expanding into spirit-based cocktails, non-alcoholic varieties and even energy drinks, with the latter forecasted to balloon into a $33 billion category in the next five years, according to research firm Mintel. Energy drinks have been a successful gambit for rival Molson Coors, which recently purchased a majority ownership stake in Zoa, a brand co-founded by actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Zoa has repeat purchase rates of 50%, and Coors said its 'ability to attract new consumers to the energy category' made it an appealing acquisition. However, Anheuser-Busch has been less successful. In 2017, the company bought energy seltzer water brand Hiball, but sold it six years later to Tilray Brands. The cult-favorite drink was recently relaunched by its new owners. Then in 2020, Anheuser-Busch bought a 40% stake in energy drink Ghost, which used the beer conglomerate's distribution network. However, that came to an end last year when Keurig Dr Pepper bought Ghost in a $1 billion deal and took over its operations. Following that, Anheuser-Busch's wholesalers and partners 'had been looking toward 'what's next' in the energy drinks space,' according to Jenn Litz-Kirk, director of content for Beer Business Daily, a trade publication. 'In some ways, this new move is a no-brainer: With the imminent launch of Phorm, it seems like Anheuser-Busch is trying to recreate the Ghost formula,' she told CNN. 'The energy segment is hot, and it's a high-margin proposition for both retailers and distributors.' The launch of Phorm Energy further entrenches Anheuser-Busch's relationship with the controversial White. The pair partnered in 2023 when Bud Light became the official sponsor of his mixed martial arts league following the Dylan Mulvaney debacle. A social media post from Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, promoting Bud Light sparked a massive backlash, costing the company as much as $1.4 billion in sales that year. As for White's involvement, Litz-Kirk said it's ''red meat' for a certain cohort of energy drink consumers,' pointing out that UFC is growing in popularity and that White has a massive following of 10 million on Instagram. Anheuser-Busch's other partner for the energy drink, 1st Phorm, is also linked to controversy. Last year, police departments in St. Louis, where the company is based, cut ties with 1st Phorm after its cofounder Andy Frisella made offensive comments about female police officers on his podcast. Sal Frisella, 1st Phorm's CEO and Andy's brother, said the comments were spoken on a personal podcast that wasn't affiliated with the company. 'We do not agree with his statements, and we do not condone the words or the context in which they were presented,' Sal said at the time. Andy no longer leads the company. Litz-Kirk said Anheuser-Busch likely doesn't think Andy's comments were a 'big deal' since the partnership was announced in January and there hasn't been any blowback from wholesalers. Sign in to access your portfolio
