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787 - Octagonal Relations feat. Karim Zidan (12/4/23)
🕑 Added 2023-12-05 02:00:33 +0000 UTCSports journalist Karim Zidan returns to the show to catch up with Felix about the world of combat sports and their attendant politics. They discuss responses to Israel/Gaza in the MMA world, developments in Saudi Arabia’s use of sports for soft power, political use of fight sports in Chechnya, and the deep bromance between Dana White and Donald Trump.
Find Karim's writing at: https://www.sportspolitika.news/
Follow Karim at: https://twitter.com/ZidanSports
Prod note: we’re putting out two public episodes today, partially to re-align the episode numberings to keep Monday eps even and Thursday eps odd. Obviously something only I care about, but also just letting you know to expect a regular Patreon ep this Thursday.
Comments
Sarah S
Just watched Fighting in the Age of Loneliness and all I want now is a Felix MMA podcast.
Nolan
Honestly my only question about the UFC is who tf do they think they are? They charge insane amounts for ppv on top of an ESPN+ subscription and only 1 out of every 10 cards is actually entertaining or have marquee fighters. For comparison, the NHL is valued at 42 billion and is easily #4 in major North American sports while the ufc just sold for 4 billion.
Very good episode with Karim, great points about what buying Newcastle United has done for the reputation of the Saudis in England. Before the confirmation, their fans were vehemently against been owned by Saudis due to their human rights record but that is hardly mentioned these days. They're doing really well in the game now and the media doesn't bother bringing up MBS' record any more, they get favourable coverage as an underdog and get given loads of primetime matches that go with the Saudi timezone. It's all a bit of a joke.
