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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Staff Writer

MMA’s week out of the cage: Prominent fighters continue to speak out on world issues

Social media has become a significant part of the sporting landscape. But few, if any, professional sports match the level of interaction and personal access provided by MMA.

In an individual competition in which nearly every athlete is chasing the same goal of financial success and championship glory, it’s important for fighters to provide insight into their lives in order to connect with fans and gain followings.

Although the life of a fighter often can be mundane and repetitive, there still are moments of interest that take place outside the cage, ring or training room. Here are some of the most interesting of those occurrences from the past week.

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Fighters continue to speak out

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❤️ #blacklivesmatter #alllivesmatter

A post shared by Rory "RED KING" Macdonald (@romac_gorilla) on

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The events in the spotlight have been devastating – even more when you reach the harrowing realisation that this is cyclical (think Mark Duggan, Stephen Lawrence, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor and, of course, George Floyd, RIP). However, there’s a narrative that portrays racism as direct and violent but racism is more complex than that. It’s covert. It’s pervasive. It’s systematic. If you realise it or not, it’s expressed across social, political and economic spheres and effects us in many different ways. Black Lives Matter and it should not take the loss of one for people to want to make a change. @chakabars posted something that said when stars are out protesting and blacking out their pages, ask them how many of their managers, publicists, staff and agents are black. Through my own research, one of the ways I believe we can make a change is by including black people in our business endeavours and positively impacting the lives of those who are still with us. Above is my corner at UFC Russia. #TeamChocolate is multicultural (S/O white chocolate @henrihooft) but I was proud to stand next to these black men of merit after that win. To the left is my coach, @coachgjones – 1 of the most successful collegiate wrestlers of all-time and 1 of only 39 people to have achieved 3 NCAA wrestling titles. To the right is my agent @yurijavier – a Solicitor who graduated with a 1st Class Law Degree before becoming a part of my team. I don’t have all the answers but I hope that I and those around me will inspire the next generation to be great and not only aim high but achieve high. I hope that people fight for change when it’s no longer a trend. We must look inwards to our own actions. We can’t do it alone. We need unity. We need equality. We need justice. We need change #BlackLivesMatter. PS we know ALM but all lives aren’t under threat. I came across an analogy to sum it up: “saying All Lives Matter in response to #BlackLivesMatter is like your house being on fire and when the fire service come to spray your house down your neighbour says that all houses in the neighbourhood should be sprayed because all houses matter” if you can’t comprehend that that, go figure ✊🏽🖤

A post shared by Danny Roberts (@danhotchocolate) on

Animals of Instagram

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ららごんたTシャツでけた🐶#プードル

A post shared by 五味隆典 (@takanorigomi) on

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Hey little fella

A post shared by Jake Ellenberger (@ellenbergermma) on

Weekly eats

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the best burgers 😋 @antonlaevskiy

A post shared by Maryna Moroz (@maryna_moroz_ufc) on

Children of MMA

Random leftovers

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Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈 Story Time ✨ The week we meet (2012) I was making my Pro Debut with @invictafc IFC3 – This was the first time we fought together on a card. Fast forward 4 years to 2016 we fought on the same card again, this time in the @ufc UFC on Fox 19 – We had been fight friends throughout the years. I clearly remember cheering for her in the locker room warming up and then post fight congratulating her. A few months later ❤️ love happened. 🥰 Fast forward another 4 years 2020 – we will fight on the same card for the 3rd time on June 20th 👊🏽 This time as a couple 💞 I can’t wait to share the night with you baby & wreck ship! @raquel_pennington #TeamTiny #TeamRocky #Rocknado #UFC #WMMA #June20 #LGBT #PrideMonth

A post shared by Tecia Torres (@teciatorres) on

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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