Jesse on Fire bails on the UFC
YouTube's 2nd place MMA influencer seems to be moving on, but why?
Now that he’s essentially moved on from MMA, I can come out and say it: I’m a Jesse on Fire fan.
Alongside MMA Guru, the guy came out of nowhere during the pandemic and fucking blew up on YouTube, dropping daily UFC takes that rapidly began to match the kind of numbers old-line MMA mainstays like Luke Thomas and Ariel Helwani.
More importantly, this new generation of UFC YouTubers was in tune with the new MAGA-aligned fan base. It was the first new generation of independent MMA media to establish itself as major players with a mass audience since the blog wave of the 2000s.
OK, maybe I’m not a fan exactly, but I do watch Jesse’s videos now and then, and generally find them amusing.
I used to watch his stuff a lot more often, but over the past year, his content has been increasingly political and less often about the UFC.
Also, I have to admit, he doesn’t seem to know The MMA Draw exists, whereas he posted multiple videos “shitting down the neck” of Bloody Elbow back when I ran that site. I used to love watching those videos.
The dude really does have “Black Belt mic” skills like he claims. Sure, I think his opinions are mostly idiotic, but they’re entertainingly expressed.
Guys like The MMA Guru and Jesse on Fire are real bellwethers for how the current UFC audience feels. They really are a focus group unto themselves. So, when there’s trouble brewing, the UFC front office has no choice but to pay attention. They may not admit it, but that’s the truth.
So, when Jesse on Fire says something is wrong with UFC, you better believe that resonates in certain quarters in Las Vegas. And right now, Jesse on Fire has one foot out the door on his UFC fandom.
“From my perspective, the UFC does not want superstars anymore. The brand is the draw, and superstars caused all the headaches for the company. They don't need them, and they don't want them. So where does that leave the creators who base their content on the stars?”
Jesse “On Fire” Merl