58 | UFC Freedom 250 & US Imperialism
Miguel was joined on the Sports As A Weapon podcast by Dr. Gerald Horne and Anthony “Tony” Ballas to discuss the June 14, 2026 UFC “Freedom 250” event that was staged as an imperialist political spectacle by Donald Trump and Dana White. Dr. Horne, Anthony, and Miguel framed the spectacle as US imperial theater echoing “bread and circuses” and even late-stage Roman Empire decline.
Additionally, Dr. Horne, Anthony, and Miguel discussed the parallels between Dana White and historic boxing promoters, fighter labor exploitation, and the event being used as a propaganda tool for US patriotism and militarization. Also, Miguel posed the question of alleged match-fixing amid the wider boom in sports gambling, crypto payments, and prediction markets, including the alleged leaked viral Twitter exchange between former UFC fighter and now commentator Daniel Cormier and Eric Trump. In the leaked message, Eric Trump sought insider betting information ahead of the UFC event.
The episode conversation also links these dynamics to finance capital, media consolidation, and the crisis of US imperialism. Miguel, Dr. Horne, and Anthony also examined the UFC’s new partnership with an AI military startup called Anduril and the normalization of AI within culture and warfare. To conclude the podcast, they discussed Dr. Horne and Anthony’s article on Whiteness, Jake Paul, and the crisis of US Imperialism.
Gerald Horne is John Jay and Rebecca Moors Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. Dr. Horne is the author of 50 books, including The BitterSweet Science: Racism, Racketeering, and the Political Economy of Boxing. His latest book is The Counter-Revolution Of 1893: The Hawaii Coup and the Roots of U.S. Imperialism in the Asia-Pacific Basin.
Anthony Ballas is an organizer with NFEE Local 4935. He is also a PhD student in Literature at Duke University. His work appears in Monthly Review, Protean Magazine, Caribbean Quarterly, 3:AM Magazine, Truthout, Middle West Review, CounterPunch, Scalawag Magazine, Peace, Land and Bread Magazine, and elsewhere. He is also the host of the De Facto Podcast and co-host of Cold War Cinema.
Links:
* Follow Dr. Gerald Horne on Facebook
* Black & Red — 40th Anniversary Edition by Dr. Gerald Horne (Pre-order)
* Slave Trade and the Roots of U.S. Imperialism by Dr. Gerald Horne (Pre-order)
* De Facto Podcast with Anthony Ballas
* The Cold War Cinema Podcast with Jason Christian, Anthony Ballas, & Paul T. Klein
* TKO and Anduril Announce Partnership Across UFC and Zuffa Boxing/UFC.com
* Eric Trump Accused of Seeking UFC Fight Intel, Calls It ‘Completely Fake by Eric Fisher/Front Office Sports
* Shadowboxing with Ghosts: Whiteness, Jake Paul, and the Crisis of U.S. Imperialism by Dr. Gerald Horne and Anthony Ballas/The Black Agenda Report
* What American Fascism Has Already Looked Like by Dr. Gerald Horne and Anthony Ballas/PLB Magazine
* Gerald Horne Around The Horne: America 250 July 4th Anniversary, Birthright Citizenship & Juneteenth/Activist News Network (YouTube)
Miguel Garcia and Comrade E produced this episode. The Sports As A Weapon Podcast is part of the @Anticonquista Media Collective. Subscribe to the ANTICONQUISTA Patreon and follow ANTICONQUISTA on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
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