The MMA fighter who joined the Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Scott Fairlamb, the MMA fighter who became the first to plead guilty to assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection, is out of prison—and appears more radicalized than ever.
Welcome to Sports Politika, a media venture founded by investigative journalist and researcher Karim Zidan that strives to help you understand how sports and politics shape the world around us. Our mission is to offer an independent platform for accessible journalism that raises awareness and empowers understanding.
If you share this vision, please consider supporting us by joining o ur community and becoming a paid subscriber.
On January 6, 2021, as Congress convened to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, a large crowd of Trump supporters gathered for a rally near the U.S. Capitol, where then-President Trump urged them to contest the election results and “fight like hell.”
Chaos ensued. Fuelled by Trump’s words and a pervasive belief in a "stolen" election, the crowd overran police barricades and stormed the Capitol building. The violence escalated into physical clashes with law enforcement, marked by broken windows, stolen property, and chilling chants. Five people were killed in the resulting riots, including a Capitol police officer.
Among those present that day was Scott Fairlamb, an imposing, bearded man who once competed as a mixed martial arts fighter before he transitioned to owning his own gym. He would become the first person to plead guilty to assaulting a police officer during the Capitol riots. He was sentenced to 41 months in prison, one of the most severe punishments handed down to any of the hundreds of people charged in the riot at the time.
Fairlamb, whose brother is a Secret Service agent formerly assigned to First Lady Michelle Obama, was reportedly among the first people to storm the Capitol and reach the Senate side of the building. Body camera footage also showed Fairlamb shouting at officers: “Are you an American? Act like it!” before shoving one of them and punching him in the helmet.
In other videos, Fairlamb can be seen climbing up scaffolding for the inaugural stage and yelling, "What do patriots do? We fucking disarm them and then we storm the fucking Capitol!"
He was arrested in January 2021 after several people sent tips to the FBI, and was indicted on 12 charges the following month by a grand jury, including Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers, and Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds.
In its the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia argued that Fairlamb’s prior issues with the law, coupled with his MMA skillset
As a former MMA fighter, the defendant was well aware of the injury he could have inflicted on Officer Z.B,” read the government memorandum in support of pre-trial detention. “The defendant’s actions show an absolute disregard for the rule of law coupled with a willingness to engage in violence. His actions and words on that day all indicate a specific intent to obstruct a congressional proceeding through fear, intimidation, and violence, including violence against uniformed police officers. By his own words, he intended to “disarm them and then [] storm the fucking Capitol!” See Exhibit 8. Fairlamb had no intention of leaving, as evinced by his screams of “We ain’t fucking leaving either! We ain’t fucking leaving!”
“The seriousness of this offence cannot be overstated. The rioters who first breached the Western front, including the defendant, came within seconds of encountering fleeing Senators. Indeed, capitol surveillance footage shows rioters breaching the Capitol through the window at 2:13:03 PM. Publicly available video shows Officer Goodman passing Senator Romney at 2:13:47, 44 seconds later, and waving Senator Romney back into the Senate chambers.”
Having been denied bail, Fairlamb pleaded guilty in August 2021 to assaulting a police officer and obstructing an official proceeding. His guilty plea set a precedent for how insurrectionists charged with violence would be punished thereafter. Over the next few months, more than 1200 people were charged with federal crimes, while more than 700 pleaded guilty to the charges. Only a portion of those cases went to trial, and only two of those cases resulted in the defendants being acquitted of all charges.
In total, more than 750 people were sentenced, with more than two-thirds receiving prison sentences ranging from a few days of intermittent confinement to 22 years in prison.
“I truly regret my actions that day. I have nothing but remorse,” Fairlamb said in court Wednesday with tears in his eyes as he asked the judge for “mercy.” “My life got pulled out from under me, and it’s no one’s fault but myself.”
Yet despite signing a plea agreement stating that he was satisfied with the legal services he was provided, Fairlamb filed a motion to dismiss his sentence in February 2023, citing the ineffective assistance of his lawyer. He claimed that his attorney told him to lie, withheld evidence from him and misled him with promises he would get a more lenient sentence. A federal judge denied the request, referring to it as “meritless.”
Fairlamb’s former attorney, Harley Breite, concurred, telling The New Jersey Herald that Fairlamb’s comments were an attack on his integrity.
"Apparently, the tears Mr. Fairlamb shed before the judge and the remorse he claimed while under oath were disingenuous," Breite said. "Despite previous court rulings that all of Mr. Fairlamb’s rights were protected, he remains unwilling to accept truths of his actions that day and thereafter."
According to the Bureau of Prisons records, Fairlamb was released from custody on June 8, 2023, after completing his sentence. Three months later, the former MMA fighter appeared on a podcast hosted by former UFC champion and fellow New Jersey native Frankie Edgar, where he discussed “his side” of the Jan. 6 story.
Dressed in a “Kill Your Local Pedophile” shirt, Fairlamb cut a strikingly different figure from the contrite man who once stood before a judge in 2021. Proud and defiant, he unapologetically defended his actions during the January 6 insurrection while unleashing a torrent of far-right conspiracy theories—an indication that his time in prison had done little to shift his perspective. As his former lawyer observed, Fairlamb appeared wholly unwilling to take accountability for his actions that day.
It is worth noting that Fairlamb wasn’t the only fighter involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich was pictured alongside members of the Proud Boys just outside the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. And though he was never charged with any crimes following the riot, he was fired from his role as a commentator on Legacy Fighting Alliance, an MMA company based in the U.S that airs on the UFC’s Fight Pass streaming service. However, their respective roles in the riot became an insidious example of the relationship between some MMA fighters and the far right — a connection further underscored by the proliferation of MAGA ideologues and conspiracy theories within the MMA community.
Once relegated to the fringes of the sporting landscape, MMA’s culture remains rooted in rugged individualism and defiance of authority. These characteristics not only shaped the athletes involved in the sport but helped create a fertile ground for far-right sentiments to take root. The insurrection, along with the arrests and repercussions faced by its perpetrators, seems to have done little to deter fighters from voicing dangerous far-right views. In some cases, it appears to have emboldened them further.
Consider Edgar, for instance. In his interview with Fairlamb, the former UFC champion voiced sympathy for the convicted felon, claiming he had been wronged by a corrupt government. Edgar went even further, suggesting that if Trump were to lose his 2024 presidential campaign, more people should follow in Fairlamb’s footsteps.
“Would you ever do another one of these? Edgar asked Fairlamb during the interview, referring to the Jan. 6 insurrection. “I mean, this is kind of how I feel. They're not going to let this motherfucker win. Right? At what point does everybody do what you did? You know what I'm saying? Like, all the people that give a fuck about our country.”
Related Reading:
Sports Politika is a media platform dedicated to the intersection of sports, power and politics. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid subscription ( or gift a subscription if you already have your own). We would appreciate if you could also like the post and let us know what you think in the comment section below.
Contrast the lenience these people receive with the punishment that others face for minor drug offenses.
Unfortunate to see that the damage from frankie’s bantamweight run is showing itself.