I really love MMA, but sometimes I question the intent of some of the fighters, as we have some real knuckleheads involved in the sport it seems. The topic today is, well, it is race, which has always been a strange issue in MMA. We’ve seen brands like Holzer Reich that were white supremacist in the past, which sadly isn’t where our stories about white supremacy begins or ends. There have been other brands, other offensive t-shirts and a lot of discussion about this.
Today what we are dealing with is a Team Quest fighter, Michelle Ould, speaking her mind on Twitter and it coming off as kind of offensive. How so? Michelle Ould asks — in a hypothetical way, of course — if people would be offended if she wore a ‘White Pride’ bra or tattoo to the ring. I’m not familiar with Michelle Ould as a fighter, nor do I know Michelle Ould’s belief system by heart, but this just sounds like crappy judgement overall, right?
Clearly Michelle Ould is referring to UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez’s ‘Brown Pride’ tattoo. Of course, the phrase ‘Brown Pride’ isn’t linked to a hate group movement here in the US.
How offended would ppl be if I wore a sports bra that said ‘white pride’ during on of my fights – or even a tattoo?
— Michelle Ould (@MichelleOuldMMA) October 29, 2013
@stormlandbrand seriously? Not only is it a rhetorical ? But it’s a free country-ppl tend to forget. Only weak cowards are afraid to ask
— Michelle Ould (@MichelleOuldMMA) October 29, 2013