MMA fighters and their tangled web of abuse against women

This week alone, four examples of fighters tangled in domestic and/or sexual abuse allegations have been highlighted in the MMA industry.

It’s a hard time to be a woman in the MMA industry.

This week alone, women have been reminded of sexual assault, domestic violence and rape allegations … and that’s just this week. Earlier this week, BRAVE MMA announced their next line-up which included two men, Aleksander Emelianenko and Josh Copeland, who have been convicted of sexual and domestic abuse. On Friday, Greg Hardy, who is best known for being accused (and convicted) of domestic violence that ended his NFL career, appeared on the main card at UFC Boston. And on Saturday, the New York Times confirmed former two-division champion, Conor McGregor, was under investigation for his second sexual assault.

AND THAT’S JUST THIS WEEK, PEOPLE. 

Sigh.

I could go further into the history of domestic violence and sex crimes within the sport, but I’m pretty sure most of you already know the bulk of it. Not to mention having four solid examples of bad behavior in one week is pretty staggering.

So why isn’t the UFC, and other promotions like BRAVE who make money off these men, doing something about it? I understand until someone is proven guilty some things just can’t happen. But when the accusations begin piling up the big-wigs can’t ignore things any longer. And some of these men (ahem, Hardy) should never have been hired in the first place.

Take a look at how the entertainment industry handles these types of crimes and accusations. People like Harvey Weinstein were removed from their positions immediately. We’re pretty sure removing a fighter, who most of us seem to not like anyway, from the UFC roster is a hell of a lot easier than removing one of the most well-known movie producers and co-founder of Miramax. If the entertainment industry did it, why can’t MMA?

Considering a huge contingent of female fight fans include victims of sexual crimes, myself included, it’s a huge slap in the face to us. Why are the victims of these crimes, like Hardy’s ex-girlfriend, not being considered when making these decisions?

Because we don’t matter, money does.

On Friday, former UFC champ Daniel Cormier mentioned on the UFC Boston broadcast that Hardy has had a lot of hardship to deal with, including having fans wanting to see him knocked out, essentially building a storyline that the public should feel sorry for Hardy. There was, of course, no mention of why people might feel that way about him. This kind of dialogue is dangerous and irresponsible and is the exact reason men like these should not be appearing on TV beating people up for a living.

Before you all drag us on Twitter, yes women are also abusers and yes, men can also be victims, but in this case … the victims were all women, and statistically, they usually are women.

Unfortunately, I don’t see anything changing anytime soon. As long as men like McGregor (who has already admitted to striking an elderly man in a bar) and Hardy (who doesn’t deny the accusations) make money for promotions like the UFC, the mental and physical health of the female fanbase will be damned.