Investigators say a loose network of so-called Active Clubs has been quietly staging bare-knuckle and mixed-martial arts exhibitions in Tennessee, using the bouts to recruit and toughen up young men. In footage from the Nashville area, the most recognizable face in the ring is a fighter who goes by "Sporty" online and also happens to be a licensed EMT. Researchers say the events fit a growing pattern in which far-right organizers package fitness and fight culture as the public-facing hook for what they describe as a locally rooted, interstate recruitment pipeline.
According to NewsChannel 5 Investigates, reporters watched fighters coming and going from a jiu-jitsu gym in the Armory Drive area and reviewed photos that show Nashville-area fighter Tristan Rettke taking part in multiple exhibitions. The station reports that Rettke, who is identified online as "Sporty," appears in promotional clips for events advertised as exhibitions and "Spring Brawl" style matchups. NewsChannel 5 also points to other local figures who surface repeatedly in the movement's propaganda, suggesting a small but steady bench of Tennessee regulars.
Tennessee Brawls Plug Into A Bigger Network
Those local fights are not one-offs, according to investigations that trace the same faces beyond state lines. Reporting by The Guardian links Tennessee fighters to organized events around the country, including a United States offshoot of the Russian Streets Fight Club and a December brawl at a Virginia compound run by the Wolves of Vinland. The Guardian notes that fighters from the Tennessee Active Club appear in promotional footage for a tournament billed as "Slaughter Smokey Mountain." A later Guardian report describes a pattern of riot-style combat gatherings that drew both Active Club members and Patriot Front affiliates and concludes that organizers are using the circuit to foster cross-group networking and training.
From Founder To Local Organizers, Legal Red Flags Pile Up
The network's architect, Robert Rundo, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for conspiring to organize riots at political rallies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Watchdog groups say local organizers are equally important on the ground. A profile from StopAntisemitism identifies Sean Kauffmann as a key Tennessee organizer with a record of extremist activity and violence. Researchers and journalists say the mix of very public gym appearances and tightly controlled private messaging channels makes Active Clubs difficult to track until they are already well organized.
Why Experts Say These Clubs Are Not Just About Fitness
Analysts warn that combining fight training, a carefully branded sense of "brotherhood" and a stream of online propaganda is an effective way to normalize violence while quietly building local infrastructure. Alexander Ritzmann of the Counter Extremism Project argues that the Active Club model functions as "the strategy to build a neo-Nazi militia," and a recent CEP brief details how the network highlights hardening, discipline and logistics. The Southern Poverty Law Center has likewise documented ties between Active Clubs and Patriot Front, reinforcing concerns among researchers that the scene is less about weekend warriors and more about long-term paramilitary ambitions.
What Officials And Gyms Are Saying, And What Is Next
Local reporting suggests that outreach to fighters, gym owners and public officials has been inconsistent so far. NewsChannel 5 notes that some participants declined to comment and reports that Kauffmann is currently jailed in Perry County awaiting trial. Community organizations and public-safety advocates say they plan to keep an eye on gyms, fight promotions and private channels for signs of recruitment or weapons-related activity. Researchers recommend that local gyms tighten vetting for instructors and that law enforcement agencies improve information sharing across jurisdictions so that the next "exhibition" is not the first time officials realize what is happening.
