UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym in his native Dagestan was raided after it was discovered that one of the gunmen involved in a recent terror attack trained there. Here is why this matters:

Israeli MMA fighter Haim Gozali did not take too kindly to my article exposing his hatred towards Palestinians. So he inscribed my name on an artillery shell bound for Gaza.

David Kaminsky, an Israeli boxer who goes by the moniker “The Lion of Zion” was seen hurling racial slurs and spitting at pro-Palestine demonstrators during a UCLA protest on Sunday.

Trump, the authoritarian darling of the right, is inching closer to the US presidency, again, with the UFC and its conservative fanbase acting as his loyal foot soldiers.

The UFC reportedly wanted Khamzat Chimaev to headline UFC 300. However, the Chechen fighter is unable to enter the US due to his connections with warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.

The UFC, so-called champion of free speech, has found a way to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Ramzan Kadyrov while simultaneously censoring pro-Palestine expressions within its platform.

Listen now | A myriad of controversies at the 2024 Paris Games raise questions about whom the Olympics truly serve and their relevance in our world. Renowned scholar Jules Boykoff joins Sports...

Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy was never really about sportswashing; it is about power, prestige, and an insatiable desire to wield global influence.

Khamzat Chimaev, once a UFC golden boy, has now been reduced to a glorified propagandist for Ramzan Kadyrov, banned from entering the US and with his star all but extinguished.

Harrison William Prescott Floyd is accused of attempting to intimidate Fulton County elections worker Ruby Freeman to falsely admit to committing election fraud.

For three weeks in the summer of 1971, an unsanctioned women's World Cup in Mexico took the world by storm. Then it all fell apart.

Once a UFC star and one of the most popular Muslim athletes alive, Khabib Nurmagomedov is now facing an existential to his legacy. So how exactly did the "Eagle of Dagestan" fall from grace?

With the support of UFC champions and a legion of young Muslim men, the self-styled misogynist continues to weaponize both faith and fighting for personal gain.

Kylian Mbappé reminds us that some things, like defeating far-right populism, are more important than football.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

Boxing is just a stepping stone in Saudi's quest to become a sporting superpower, and they won't hesitate to abandon it once it's no longer useful.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym in his native Dagestan was raided after it was discovered that one of the gunmen involved in a recent terror attack trained there. Here is why this matters:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a noteworthy appearance at an AFCON match in Ivory Coast, showcasing a rare instance of the United States leveraging football as a form of soft power to...

Gadzhimurad Kagirov, an MMA fighter affiliated to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his late father Abdulmanap, was among the militants killed following a terror attack in Dagestan.

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The mass shooting near the Kansas City Super Bowl victory rally is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges confronting the United States as it prepares to host the 2026 World Cup.

In a world where the UFC is a cherished bastion for conservatives, it comes as no surprise that those same conservatives would view Taylor Swift’s NFL alliance as a threat to the American right.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

The 18-time Grand Slam champion and outspoken lesbian has emerged as a firebrand in the debate about trans women in sports.

Extremists are using the sport’s counter-culture mystique to radicalize disenfranchised young men and to provide them a shared space to spread hate. Meanwhile, the UFC is also profiting off hate.

97 athletes, 32 officials and technicians, and 18 scouts are among the victims of Israel's war on Gaza. These are their names.

In this week's Office Hours, I look back on more of the more absurd tales from my time in Russia.

Saudi Arabia's crackdown on 12 football fans underscores the risks associated with the kingdom hosting the 2034 World Cup. It is also a reflection of the kingdom’s fear of its youth.

Israeli MMA fighter Haim Gozali is among the prominent figures spewing hate and cheering the slaughter of Palestinians.

What happens when thousands of your articles, including a decade's worth of investigative reporting, are wiped off the internet? And what does this say about the future of digital media?

For years, Aramco has served as an instrument of Saudi statecraft.Today, it also serves as a vehicle for projecting soft power through international sports.

A boxing tournament featuring Ukraine’s Olympic team took place in a subway station in war-torn Kharkiv.

In a world where the UFC is a cherished bastion for conservatives, it comes as no surprise that those same conservatives would view Taylor Swift’s NFL alliance as a threat to the American right.

The Egyptian icon has long been considered the 'Pride of the Arabs,' yet that status has come into question amid Israel's war on Gaza.

The 22-time grand slam champion has been accused of stoking ethnic tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.

Support my mission to keep you aware, engaged and empowered to take action against the rising tide of despotic influence in sports.

The latest episode of The Sports Politika podcast is a special Q&A edition of the show, where I answer listener questions about a wide range of topics.

It is time to dispel the myth that sports can be a harbinger of diplomacy and peace. True peace is born from justice, not the playing of ball and stick games.

Professor Katarina Pijetlovic joins the Sports Politika podcast to discuss her DiEM25 petition to banish Israel from international sports amid the ongoing destruction of Gaza.

Most of Gaza’s most prominent football stadiums have been damaged or destroyed in the wake of Israel’s ongoing destruction of the besieged strip.

The kingdom has managed to transform the greatest footballer of all time into a propaganda puppet willing to espouse any message for the right price.

Backed by six other member associations, the Palestinian Football Association put forth a proposal to adopt sanctions against Israel at upcoming FIFA 74th Congress.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

Apart from raising the bar for their fellow competitors, Middle Eastern women are also taking steps to shift the gender balance in weightlifting.

American neo-Nazi Robert Rundo has been extradited to the U.S. on federal rioting charges, yet his fight club empire continues to grow.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

Several members of the Fatehin (Conquerors) Special Unit—an all-volunteer militia known for brutally suppressing dissent—are currently positioned within Iran’s martial arts federations.

Looking back on years of reporting on how Donald Trump co-opted the UFC as the sports arm of his campaign, presidency, and MAGA ideology.

The Chechen warlord released his latest workout video in an attempt to disprove reports of fatal illness. It did not work.

Beyond his warmongering influence in Washington, Kissinger also knew how to leverage sports as part of his diplomatic arsenal.

Francis Ngannou—an African migrant turned champion fighter—has partnered with a kingdom accused of mass murdering African migrants.

From stifling pro-independence protests in New Caledonia to damaging the delicate coral reefs in Tahiti, the Paris Games lays bare the brutality of French neo-colonialism.

Qatar’s efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages coupled with its influence through its Al Jazeera network emphasize the country’s emerging status post-World Cup.

Have a question you’ve been waiting to ask me? A theme you want me to pay attention to? An issue with my reporting? The floor is yours.

First Nation flags flying at the 2023 World Cup symbolize changing times, but true change lies in governments heeding indigenous voices fighting for self-determination.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

In this week's Office Hours, Karim Zidan looks back at his coverage of Ziyavudin Magomedov, the Dagestani oligarch now languishing in Russian prison.

Surf City—the 21km stretch of refurbished coastline—has become a centrepiece of Nayib Bukele’s authoritarian presidency.

Thank you for joining us on this journey, for lending your voices to the conversation, and for standing by us as we strive to make a difference in the world of sports journalism.

KOTS' unsanctioned brawls bring together unfettered ultimate fighting with an increasingly emboldened alliance of violent soccer hooliganism, far-right extremists and neo-Nazis.

Founded by Karim Zidan, Sports Politika is a media venture at the intersection of sports, power and politics. Unfiltered news, investigative reporting, and unique perspectives. Click to read Sports...

"Sadness stirs among the family, a sense that their collective fate rests in the balance of tonight’s tragedy."

The latest edition of the Sports Politika podcast delves into the growing trend of MMA fighters trading the cage for the political arena.

Boris Yeltsin’s tennis revolution shared similar characteristics to his other ventures: nepotism and corruption as a result of negligence.

Gulf-focused human rights organizations sent letters to the Premier League and the British government calling on them to address state ownership of football clubs.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion and outspoken lesbian has emerged as a firebrand in the debate about trans women in sports.

As Germans dream of a Euro 2024 summer fairytale, the rise of a far-right political party and its ultranationalist ideology threatens to turn it into a political nightmare.