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# Extremist “Active Clubs” Are Infiltrating Jiu-Jitsu
- URL: https://fightingmatters.com/extremist-active-clubs-are-infiltrating-jiu-jitsu/
- Published: 2025-06-05T12:06:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T05:17:44.000Z
- Description: Neo-Nazis are infiltrating Jiu-Jitsu—and most of us don’t even know it’s happening.
- Author: Fighting Matters
- Tags: Podcast, Video, Extremism

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 extremist groups using martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai as recruiting tools for white supremacist and neo-Nazi causes.  
  
Mack spent nearly a decade reporting on far-right extremism for VICE News and now works with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, tracking extremist movements around the world. He explains how these groups organize in secret, how they weaponize the power of community, and how they’re already competing in tournaments and running covert training groups in cities across North America.  
  
This conversation is a wake-up call for anyone who thinks Jiu-Jitsu is immune to radicalization—and a roadmap for how we push back.  
  
⸻  
  
👥 Featuring:  
  
Mack Lamoureux – Investigative Journalist  
Jesse Walker ‪@RoughHandsBJJ‬  
Mike Mahaffey ‪@OldBastardBJJ‬  
Steve Kwan ‪@bjjmentalmodels‬  
  
⸻  
  
🧠 Topics We Cover:  
  
• What are active clubs—and how do they recruit?  
• How extremist groups use martial arts to radicalize  
• Why community is both a powerful tool and a dangerous weapon  
• The terrifying overlap between fight culture and fascism  
• What coaches and gym owners can do to fight back  
  
⸻  
  
📖 Chapters:  
  
[00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&ref=fightingmatters.com) Introduction to the Conversation  
[01:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=88s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Understanding Active Clubs  
[05:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=311s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Recruitment Tactics of Active Clubs  
[08:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=513s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Training for a Race War  
[10:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=650s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Nature of Active Clubs  
[13:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=811s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Community and Cult-like Tactics  
[15:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=929s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Evolution of Active Clubs  
[20:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=1241s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Decentralized Structure and Terrorism  
[23:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=1388s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Identifying Active Clubs  
[26:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=1587s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Power of Community Influence  
[31:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=1874s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Normalization of Extremism in Jiu-Jitsu  
[33:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=2000s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Ethical Decline in Society  
[35:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=2143s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Understanding the Overton Window  
[41:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=2473s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Role of Community in Combatting Extremism  
[49:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=2986s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Mental Health and Coping with Dark Subjects  
[54:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aZMeFvM5A&t=3288s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Power of Local Influence