The UFC, so-called champion of free speech, has found a way to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Ramzan Kadyrov while simultaneously censoring pro-Palestine expressions within its platform.
"He fights under the Palestinian flag, even though he is from Chicago". I've heard this critique of Belal before and it's nonsensical. It was the same critique levied at Kamaru Usman for being so proud to display his Nigerian heritage despite being raised in America. Belal is of Palestinian descsnt and only lives in Chicago because his family were forced to leave their homeland and unable to return.
The charge that he's pushing Hamas talking points doesn't even warrant a response.
But the conclusion the author reaches is the correct one. Sure, the UFC don't prevent Belal from posting on his own social media, but they did edit Makhachev's speech on their YouTube page. And they did reverse the decision to allow flags after Pereira came in with the Israeli one, presumably with the knowledge that fighters would walk in with the Palestinian flag.
US sanctions are weak if it allows US companies to circumvent them. Surely that's the sniff test of a robust sanction law 🤔
I like MMA. Political opinions don't belong there. Neither does poetry. You just smash each other and make money.
"He fights under the Palestinian flag, even though he is from Chicago". I've heard this critique of Belal before and it's nonsensical. It was the same critique levied at Kamaru Usman for being so proud to display his Nigerian heritage despite being raised in America. Belal is of Palestinian descsnt and only lives in Chicago because his family were forced to leave their homeland and unable to return.
The charge that he's pushing Hamas talking points doesn't even warrant a response.
But the conclusion the author reaches is the correct one. Sure, the UFC don't prevent Belal from posting on his own social media, but they did edit Makhachev's speech on their YouTube page. And they did reverse the decision to allow flags after Pereira came in with the Israeli one, presumably with the knowledge that fighters would walk in with the Palestinian flag.