Huge thanks to Sean Craig, @tristanl.ee, and Youri van der Weide for the assists on this six month investigation.

Read the full story here:

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

An August 2023 fight was promoted on VK as a fundraiser for Russian troops in the “special military operation” - the Kremlin’s propaganda term for the war on Ukraine - ending with “Glory to Russia!”

The PPV stream was also advertised on Instagram, but without mentioning its fundraising purpose.

SFC generates income selling pay-per-view fight streams. Its blue check Instagram account has over 22k followers, while their former YouTube channel was banned at 20k subscribers following inquiry by the Guardian.

Meta did not respond to requests for comment, and related SFC pages remain active.

Andrew Lindgren, billed as “Drew,” fought at the 2024 Frontier fight tournament and took part in a bareknuckle boxing match at the PF compound in Tellico Plains TN.

SFC fighter Lucas Cheek of Tellico Plains has fought under the alias “Holler Brawler” for the amateur boxing promotion Redneck Brawl.

Handlebar mustachioed Tristan Rettke has also participated in fight tournaments between Patriot Front and the Active Clubs.

In 2019, Rettke was found not guilty of civil rights intimidation after disrupting a 2016 Black Lives Matter event while he was a student at East Tennessee State University.

Thomas Grady, aka “Dagda,” is a former marine and professional MMA fighter who was first identified as a member of Tennessee Active Club by a pseudonymous researcher earlier this year.

In June, The Guardian reported TAC infiltrated and was ultimately banned from a family friendly BJJ academy.

Other SFC fighters identified in the story include Thomas Francis Denton of the Base. In 2022, Denton pleaded no contest to felony firearm & conspiracy charges in Michigan for trying to set up a “hate camp.” The Base is a designated terrorist organization in Canada & the European Union.

SFC America is led by Avery Ross Ruiz, aka “Panzzer,” of Texas-based Lone Star Active Club. In August, Ruiz fought in the Frontier fight tournament in Southern California between the Active Clubs and Patriot Front. Following Friday’s publication by The Guardian, Ruiz responded: “Weak ass article.”

SFC has promoted at least two fight tournaments in the US featuring fighters from the Active Club network, the Base, and Patria Gloria - the Patriot Front BJJ team led by PF enforcer Ian Michael Elliott. Elliott was previously revealed as an organizer of a 122-acre PF compound in Tellico Plains, TN.

Last week, I broke the story of how a Russian street fight promotion expanded into the US with help of neo-nazis from the Active Club network & Patriot Front.

Streets Fight Club (SFC) has promoted no-rules, bare-knuckle fights on Instagram & YouTube while raising funds for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Meta did not reply to multiple requests for comment.

Insane article from @wileydcope.bsky.social about how Active Club and Patriot Front members started the American franchise of a sketchy Russian bareknuckle boxing promotion
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Patriot Front and Active Clubs are working with a Russian fight promoter to sell pay-per-view tickets to its fight club events. The article includes previously unidentified PF/AC guys like Thomas Denton a former member of the accelerationist group the Base. 1/4

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Pro tip: if you're trying to hide the location of your latest far-right 'fight night' all the blurring and and tight shots won't help you if you host it in a place with bright orange walls (and also lie to the owner about why you're renting the place)

www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...

I touch on this assault in my @bellingcat.com latest on their ‘fight night’ 2 weeks ago, but SoCal Active Club founder and leader Robert Wheldon is indeed one of the attackers - he kicks the man on the ground twice and strikes him with the flagpole twice before running away

bsky.app/profile/acat...

Far-right fight nights are events bringing together combat fighting, extremist bands and merch, in an attempt to bring in new recruits and solidify existing relationships. @colborne.bsky.social locates the latest event for a California-based group: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/09...