As a world-renowned welterweight in the UFC, Jon Fitch knows firsthand how thrilling personal success can be.
Whether it was battling UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for a title or compiling a career record of 32-8, Fitch, a Fort Wayne, Indiana native, has experienced what so many fighters, and people, can only imagine.
But that’s not to suggest that the 43-year-old Fitch hasn’t also encountered a litany of pivotal moments that have drastically altered the trajectory of his life.
It’s why Fitch today is an active proponent of red-pill theory, because even though Fitch is an iconized figure in the UFC pantheon, he also has been riddled with adversities which rival that of the average individual.
For those who are unfamiliar with red-pill theory, this is not a concept that you are likely to have stumbled upon while flipping through Men’s Health or aimlessly scrolling through Twitter.
In fact, red-pill theory isn’t even listed in the dictionary, which is one reason why the concept has been criticized and debated the last few years.
But ask Fitch what red-pill theory means to him, and you will come away with a better grasp of not only the theory, but also of Fitch himself.
“It’s waking up to the lies that we were taught growing up,” Fitch says. “We are taught that our biology is a lie and that all these things that occur naturally are programmed and forced on us, that we are basically meat machines who are programmed to do certain things.”
“We have conscious thoughts, and we can decide whether or not to take action on those urges and feelings that we have, but at the end of the day our reward system is primarily set up toward survival and reproduction. All these social theatrics that we are currently seeing are doing more harm than good.”
The sensationalism to which Fitch is referring was well documented during a recent interview with Rich Cooper, another subscriber of red-pill theory who has gained substantial notoriety in the last year, especially after the release of his book The Unplugged Alpha.
Both Fitch and Cooper are staples of the men’s development scene because they offer others keen insights into the way society is negatively conditioning men, but also how men can combat these systemic attempts and take control of their respective narratives.
Much of what Fitch and Cooper discuss involves making distinctions between ideals and reality, an endeavor that so far has enlightened many men on their oft-repressed predispositions, but also irritated others who prefer not to be illuminated.
“We live in a world where people want to live according to how things should be, but that’s just not how it is. People have to accept reality and move on,” Fitch says. “But people fight against it and come up with some type of coping mechanism rather than just embracing reality for what it is.”
Fitch says many people are willing to live in what he calls a “horror show reality” because doing so is more manageable than challenging one’s own intellectual foundation.
“The dreams and the lies are very alluring,” says Fitch. “To believe in magic and fairytales sounds nice.”
It would be easy for many to attribute Fitch’s passion for red-pill theory to his storied career in the UFC, that his path of unconventionality is why he holds these beliefs.
Yet, Fitch says that there are a large contingent of UFC fighters who are still following mainstream ideologies.
“UFC is riddled with a lot of blue-pilled alphas. There are some guys who are politically red-pilled, but as far as relationships go, they are still plugged in,” says Fitch.
“When you know enough about red-pill, you know to kind of shut up about it because it puts a target on your back. Your friends will turn on you because their ego investments make them believe in blue-pilled ideologies.”
A lot of this has to do with the pressure that fighters receive from the UFC, an entity that Fitch says consistently prioritizes dollar amounts over integrity and virtue.
“There are a lot of shenanigans going on with the UFC. There is plenty of foul play with that stuff,” Fitch notes.
“When it comes to promotions, they will take anything that gets them attention. That’s why they led the Khabib and McGregor fight promos with McGregor throwing a dolly cart through a window. They don’t care as long as it gets them clicks.”
Fitch adds that unlike a sports league such as the NFL or the NBA, the UFC is not founded upon meritocracy. The best fighters do not always get selected to participate in the biggest and most lucrative cards, regardless of their merit.
Instead, because the UFC paradigm favors drama and attention, less decorated fighters many times will usurp their more deserving contemporaries if the UFC stands to generate more profit.
“It is a production, just like pro wrestling, but the fights are real. The UFC does not operate as a sport,” says Fitch.
“It’s really hard for people to wrap their head around that, but the idea is that the rankings mean nothing. The titles mean nothing. It’s all just a reality show. A lot of the fights they put together are only because they are popular, or the promoter has favorable contracts with the guy they’re putting in the fight.”
With the UFC continuing to function in this manner, it is worth questioning why fighters don’t leave the UFC, especially when one considers the immense amount of physical hardship a fighter experiences throughout their career.
But Fitch says most fans are not privy to the actual business of the UFC, nor do they care.
Cue the red-pill theory parallels.
“Fans don’t get it because it is kind of a hard concept to understand,” he says. “A lot of people also don’t care. On the spectrum of all sports, 100% of the time when there is a dispute between management and players, the fans choose to side with the promoter because they just want to watch their show. They don’t care about who is making money.”
“If fighters want to make more money it comes down to them fighting for a larger share because right now, they’re making table scraps.”
While household names like the aforementioned Connor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov rake in ungodly amounts of money each time they fight, the less heralded fighters typically don’t even come close to seeing the same type of money as the sport’s superstars.
Fitch says many new fighters come in on an inflated pay scale, where their baseline salary is $10,000 per fight, with the opportunity to earn an additional $10,000 if they win.
“The pay system is something that is fucked up,” says Fitch. “Guys fight one to three times per year. That’s not much to live off and the low tier of their sponsorship is $2,500-$3,000. They then are paying out 10-20% of that purse to coaching and management, and then they have other training costs along with that; not to mention taxes, and if you live in California you have the 13% state tax on top of that.”
Perhaps the biggest travesty regarding the small compensation packages is that the UFC then knowingly takes advantage of fighters.
“The pay gives the UFC leverage over fighters because they own their contracts, and the fighters cannot get a lot of work. The fighters then have to take every contract they are given because otherwise they do not eat,” explains Fitch.
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As mentioned at the outset of this article, the red-pill theory has many applications, which is why Fitch is now using his platform to provide information and mentor men who have seen their purpose diminished by a western propaganda machine that currently devalues men and their place in the social hierarchy.
According to Fitch, one fallout from the suppression of traditional masculinity is that many young men these days no longer believe they can do anything great, and instead program themselves into thinking that mediocrity will be their best path toward happiness.
This has left many young men lost and in dire need of direction, which Fitch admits is something he struggled with throughout his maturation process.
Fitch also says he notices too many young men who are overly concerned with pursuing women, calling this behavior counterintuitive because it is affecting their ability to build a foundation which, if constructed effectively, will inevitably attract women in the future.
“I am 43 now. There are still those same super-hot 25-year-old girls that are available. The opportunities are not ending for me because I have put in the work and I have done stuff with my life,” says Fitch.
This should serve as a reminder for all young men out there who are currently struggling with dating, in that there is value in prioritizing your career and ambitions over relationships because playing the long game will eventually reap both financial and romantic benefits.
“There is so much more power in being able to walk away [from a romantic situation],” Fitch says.
“If you are a high-value male and you have big goals and are doing big things, that should be your attitude with dating. You don’t have to put up with nonsense because there will always be another girl who turns 21 years old tomorrow.”
In that sense, successful men are the true prizes within the dating landscape, simply because they are not as prevalent as the number of attractive women who are available.
Of course, had Fitch recognized all of this when he was younger, his perceptions of dating would have been drastically different.
“There was so much BS that I tolerated in my twenties when I was dating. Even in my marriage, it was death by a thousand swords because I kept tolerating all this nonsense and there was no reason to,” he says, then adding, “decide how you want to live your life and then live it that way. Nobody else should be forcing you to give things up or force you into a hole in your garage.”
Another topic that consistently gets broached during red-pill discussions is the institution of marriage and the effect that has on men, particularly when marriages dissolve and couples find themselves entangled in divorce proceedings.
As a man who went through a brutal divorce, Fitch takes a deep breath and then points out how the divorce laws currently in place often leave men in economic and emotional ruin.
Consequently, Fitch finds it very difficult to endorse men getting married, but he also says that this issue isn’t gendered.
Instead, it’s systemic.
Explains Fitch:
“I think men and women are better together. I think families are positive and that we need them, but I do not know how I can encourage a guy to get married with how the current legal system is set up. It’s not even about women. It’s about what the state can do to you. I’ve taken a more anarchistic approach as I’ve gotten older because it’s fine if you want a wedding, but don’t involve the state. Do something that can protect you because the state is trying to destroy you. They want everyone weak and submissive to their power.”
“That’s what a lot of this comes down to: it’s not about men versus women. It’s about the state trying to destroy long-term relationships and families.”
And in California, where Fitch has been living for many years, the standard of living has been getting progressively worse, despite the exorbitant tax levels that have been implemented.
“I continue to see theft by taxation. The government is not doing anything good with our money. The schools and the roads suck. The postal service sucks. The military kind of sucks because even though they are the most powerful one out there, they have a lot of waste and a lot of fuck ups. A lot of money is expended there that should not be expended,” Fitch says.
This has made Fitch continue to question why things are trending in this direction.
“Why am I paying 33% federal [taxes] and 13% state for all of this? That means that 46% of the time I am working for free. I would rather work and keep all of my money for my own stuff so that I can ensure that it is awesome,” he explains.
In an ideal world, Fitch says he would join the mass exodus out of California and return to Indiana to explore different business opportunities, but as a result of his divorce, the only way he will be able to consistently see his children is if he remains based on the west coast.
“My initial plan was to come out here [California] and make money fighting, and then when I was done I could move back to Indiana and open up gyms, buy land, and have a nice life raising my family. But then because of the divorce I am stuck out here until the kids are at least eighteen.”
“It is too expensive to do the kind of business stuff that I want to do in California because I cannot afford to buy a building. In Indiana, I could afford to do that.”
Fitch could also see himself leaving the United States, especially if radical government initiatives continue to be enacted.
“Things are nuts here and if they continue to get worse with things like vaccine passports and the social credit scores like they have in China, then I don’t want to be here,” Fitch says.
At present, it doesn’t appear that the government’s influence will ever decline, meaning society is unlikely to ever revert back toward traditionally conservative politics and philosophies.
This trajectory certainly does not appeal to those invested in red-pill doctrines.
“A large group of people desperately want authoritarianism. They want daddy to come and tell them what to do,” Fitch says, then noting how he sees a percentage of people struggling with problems related to unresolved family conflicts.
“If you go deep enough with some people, you will find something about their dad not being there, being incompetent, or effeminate.”
Fortunately, Fitch says solving personal problems is possible, especially if individuals are motivated to improve, and also accept just how absurd life is.
“If nothing existed and you explained to somebody the idea of our universe being created and how it was created and how human life started, they wouldn’t believe you,” Fitch says.
“Your entire existence is preposterous so shut up and feel lucky that you are here. Then when bad things happen to you, laugh and understand that it’s ridiculous you are even here. Life is hard, so you can laugh or cry about it, but you can’t change it.” QS
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