Neoliberal masculinity in the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, the author examines neoliberal masculinity in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election. She uses neoliberal masculinity as a framework for understanding how and why the UFC promotes diverse masculinities—including alt-right white masculinity—who can brand themselves for an array of domestic and international markets. She argues that neoliberal masculinity requires entrepreneurial subjects who view the market as the ultimate moral authority and discourage athletes from challenging the sports-media-complex's labor exploitation. The UFC ironically requires a docile athlete-worker that is incongruent with the sport’s reputation for hypermasculine performances of power.