Ahead of UFC Fight Island 1 last July, German fighter Timo Feucht was all set to make his octagon debut. The 8-1 light heavyweight was coming off a win over UFC veteran Jeremy Kimball, and was all set to compete in the biggest fight of his career.
Then, news of his ties to neo-Nazi groups began making the rounds. As quickly as Feucht had been signed up by the UFC, he was out of a job.
Feucht has not competed since the Kimball fight. But on Thursday, GAMMA, the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts, announced that Feucht had been selected as the ambassador for their new anti-racism campaign.
The choice may come as a surprise to some. But in a press release unveiling the news, GAMMA officials stated that Feucht had cut ties with former training partners, managers, and most importantly, the hate groups he had previously associated with.
The fighter had also begun a relationship with the German MMA Amateur Federation (GAMMAF), after he reached out to them to inquire why they had reported his past activities to the UFC — which ultimately led to his contract being voided. The response from GAMMAF? A fighter “cannot be given any platform to amplify racism when there are many young fans who see mixed martial arts athletes as role models.”
Hailing from Leipzig, Germany, Feucht’s past included an arrest following an attack at the Connewitz district in Leipzig in 2016. Feucht was described as being a member of a “right-wing hooligan group” that was behind the incident. 215 people were reportedly arrested when all was said and done. Included were four members of Feucht’s now-former fight team, Imperium Fight Team. Explosives, pepper spray, knives and other weapons were utilized during the attack.
A former coach of Feucht, Benjamin “The Hooligan” Brinsa, was actually released by the UFC in 2013 after details of his own Neo-Nazi ties emerged.
Now, Feucht is looking for redemption, and attempting to prevent young people from making the same mistakes he did.
In Thursday’s press release, GAMMA officials stated that “Timo knows that he cannot undo his past actions and behaviour but what he can do is to change his attitude and actions. With the support of GAMMA, Timo has agreed to be the ambassador of their anti-racism programme to educate youths about fairness and inclusion, and the importance of eradicating racism, extremism, and hate. He will give seminars for underprivileged youths and share his story with people who have been exposed to racism. Hopefully, his first-hand experience will enable youths to relate to him better and make better choices in life.”
