On Saturday night, UFC fighter Renato Moicano talked with his fists. Then, after winning the fight, he grabbed the mic and delivered some powerful words.
Moicano came back from what looked to be a certain defeat in his bout against Jalinn Turner and completed a thrilling comeback by finishing off Jalin Turner with strikes at their UFC 300 fight.
RENATO MOICANO WITH THE GROUND AND POUND FINISH Ὃ#UFC300 pic.twitter.com/fr6cm5xKZo
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 14, 2024
However, the fireworks would continue as the Brazilian grabbed the mic from Joe Rogan during the winner’s interview and unleashed a pro-American rant for the ages.
“I’m a huge advocate of the First Amendment, and of course, I want the $300k bonus, but they not going to give me because somebody says this is f*cking Disney, you cannot curse…so I’m not going to do my speech, but first off all I love America, I love the constitution, I love the first amendment, I want to f*cking carry all the f*cking guns, I love private property, If you care about your f*cking country, read Ludwig von Mises and the six lessons of the Austrian economic school, motherf*cker.”
I LOVE THE CONSTITUTION. I LOVE THE FIRST AMANDMENT.
I CANNOT. AFFORD. TO LOSE.
Money Moicano post fight speeches >> #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/yohQvWQFtq
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) April 14, 2024
If you had money on a UFC fighter delivering a screaming endorsement of Ludwig Von Mises, please come to the table and collect your winnings.
The things Moicano is saying here are great. And it’s great to hear a professional athlete passionately endorsing the things that have made our country great. However, what might be just as significant is that he’s allowed to say it.
Political rants in the stick and ball leagues of the NFL, NBA, and MLB are almost universally anti-American, and the few ostensibly pro-American rants are pretty tepid. Here, you have a Brazilian fighter delivering an emphatic statement of support, and he will face no repercussions. And even if he had not said kind things about America, as distasteful as that would have been, he would have faced no repercussions.
The UFC is the last bastion of actual free speech in American sports, and regardless of what anyone thinks about the sport or the people who run it., that needs to be respected.