Men Who Strike and Men Who Submit: Hegemonic and Marginalized Masculinities in Mixed Martial Arts

While the recent conceptualization of hegemonic masculinity allows for the emergence of multiple masculinities, a significant ambiguity remains in theorizing the relationships between hegemonic and ‘‘alternative’’ forms of masculinity. In the relatively newly institutionalized sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), the relationship between the two polarized, competing technical styles—striking and submission— appears to demonstrate the competition between hegemonic and marginalized masculinities. This article argues that the distinction is predicated on the process of maintaining and negotiating a specific form of hegemonic masculinity that interacts with East Asian masculinities that are often feminized, yet selectively authorized by their white American counterpart. This article provides a theoretical discussion of marginalized masculinities identified in MMA and challenges the perceived characteristics of hegemonic masculinity—particularly its singularity and impenetrability—by suggesting a more relational, antiessentialist approach.