While the UFC has long positioned itself as a supporter of combat sports communities, recent comments from Ben Kovacs, co-founder of the Guardian Project, suggest that not all of the promotion’s charitable promises hold weight.
Speaking on FloGrappling’s podcast, Kovacs opened up about a disappointing experience with the UFC, revealing that the organization failed to follow through on a pledged donation to his nonprofit – which provides free BJJ training for children around the world.
The Guardian Project initiative, started by Kovacs, today supports 27 academies worldwide and gives over 500 kids the opportunity to train jiu-jitsu every day – completely free of charge.
During the interview, Kovacs drew a sharp contrast between empty corporate promises and the genuine actions of athletes like Craig Jones:
One of the coolest things I saw with Craig is when he went to Peru, he actually started following one of the kids featured in the episode on Instagram and started DMing him back and forth.
He’s legitimately friends with this 17-year-old kid who was one of the first kids in the program.
He’s not just doing it for a PR stunt.
But when it came to the UFC, Kovacs says their involvement felt performative from the start:
They came to visit Guardian in LA, brought the fighters, took some photos – and as soon as it was over, they said: “Oh, we’re going to make a donation.”
And then they never did. They just ghosted.
It was a PR stunt.
The post UFC Accused Of Ghosting On Promised Donation To Jiu-Jitsu Nonprofit: “It Was A PR Stunt” appeared first on Bjj Eastern Europe.
