Neo-Nazis are infiltrating Jiu-Jitsu—and most of us don’t even know it’s happening.In this episode of Fighting Matters, we’re joined by investigative journalist Mack Lamoureux to expose the rise of “active clubs”: decentralized extremis...

Luke Thomas just appeared on The Daily Show with Jordan Klepper to talk about how the UFC has become a tool of radicalisation for the MAGA movement, so we invited him onto Fighting Matters to dig a little deeper. You can watch the original segm...

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan and Stephan Kesting are joined by scientist and author Kristi Charish to investigate how Jiu-Jitsu became a hotbed for pseudoscience, supplement scams, and influencer grifts.We explore how...

Jesse Walker, Jeff Shaw, and Steve Kwan are joined by longtime martial artist, educator, and activist D’Juan Owens. Together, they examine how self-defense training often overlooks the realities of abuse, how martial arts culture can enable vic...

🎙️ Jay Rod was removed from B-Team. The community response was just as revealing as the offense.In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan, Jesse Walker, and Jeff Shaw dissect the fallout from the Jiu-Jitsu world after Jacob “Jay R...

Historian Daniele Bolelli joins us to define fascism and authoritarianism, break down the historical context of fascism, and explain the alliance between oligarchs and fascist governments, the role of fear and propaganda, and the potential role...

🎙️ The UFC has become more than a fight promotion—it’s a political statement.In this episode of Fighting Matters, Jeff Shaw, Stephan Kesting, and Steve Kwan sit down with journalist Albert Samaha to unpack his explosive Washington Post ...

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan, Jesse Walker, and Shelby York react to the breaking news that B-Team Jiu-Jitsu has officially banned Jay Rod. The team discusses the statements made by both B-Team and Jay Rod and the implication...

🎙️ A powerful conversation about identity, inclusion, and resilience in the martial arts community.In this episode of Fighting Matters, co-hosts Steve Kwan and Mike Mahaffey are joined by special guest Molly Reis, a three-stripe black b...

Nate Quarry fought in MMA, including The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC, between 2001 and 2010.  He's currently involved in suing the UFC for anticompetitive and monopolistic practices.  He joins us on the Fighting Matters podcast to di...

🎙️ A deep dive into how Trump’s anti-Canada rhetoric flipped the Canadian election—and what it means for martial artists on both sides of the border.In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan is joined by longtime friend and grappl...

🎙️ A candid roundtable on tariffs, economic disruption, and the fight to preserve Jiu-Jitsu communities during hard times.In this episode of Fighting Matters, co-hosts Steve Kwan, Jesse Walker, and Jeff Shaw take a hard look at how Trum...

🎙️ A candid roundtable on tribalism, culture wars, and the struggle to preserve community in Jiu-Jitsu and beyond.In this episode of Fighting Matters, co-hosts Steve Kwan, Mike Mahaffey, Jesse Walker, and Timothy Lee Peterson take a har...

Why do so many women quit Jiu-Jitsu—and what can we do to fix it?In this candid and eye-opening episode, Fighting Matters sits down with Shelby York of Rough Hands BJJ to talk about the real reasons women leave the sport. From casual mi...

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan (BJJ Mental Models) is joined by Tim Lee Peterson for a candid conversation about the UFC’s growing alignment with far-right politics. They discuss how combat sports are being used as a cultural v...

The word fascism gets thrown around a lot, but words have meanings and fascism does not mean “ all the things that I don’t like”. in this video, I go through the 10 pillars of fascism as laid out by Jason Stanley in his book, How Fascism Works....

In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan (BJJ Mental Models), Jesse Walker (Rough Hands BJJ), and Mike Mahaffey (Magic BJJ) discuss the backlash to a recent viral post about Jiu-Jitsu’s historical links to fascism, and how that history c...

Is Jiu-Jitsu just about choking people—or can it actually make the world better?In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan (BJJ Mental Models), Jeff Shaw (Bellingham BJJ), Jesse Walker (Rough Hands BJJ), and Mike Mahaffey (Old Bast...

Stephan Kesting, Mike Mahaffey, Jeff Shaw, and Jesse Walker have an unfiltered, deeply personal conversation about the growing political divide in the combat sports world.They discuss recent developments with Conor McGregor, Dana White,...

In this special roundtable episode, Stephan Kesting, Steve Kwan, Jeff Shaw, and Jesse Walker for an unfiltered, deeply personal conversation about the growing political divide in the combat sports world.They tackle tough questions:&...