While the job of a UFC fighter is to “take down” an opponent, FBI agents are trained to gauge a situation and “use a minimum amount of force to subdue a person so they are no longer a threat to the agents or themselves,” he said.
“Part of the nuance of the job is talking to a person so things don’t get out of hand,” said Massey, who now runs a crisis management firm called Convincing Company. “What the UFC does is a gladiator-style spectacle with bare-knuckle brawling. That’s not how we are trained.”
The FBI did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on that criticism.
Jody Weis, a former FBI agent and Chicago Police Department superintendent, said he too was taken aback by the idea at first. But he said he sees the benefit of FBI agents’ learning some of the mixed martial arts skills that UFC fighters are known for.
“Most fights will end up on the ground, so it just makes sense to me to incorporate some MMA training — maybe Brazilian jiu jitsu to give the agents options besides strikes and weapons,” Weis told Sinclair’s “The National News Desk.”
Patel, who never served as an FBI agent and was appointed to the agency’s top job by President Donald Trump, is an unabashed fan of UFC fighting.
UFC CEO Dana White said he has “tremendous respect for the FBI” and “we’re proud to support the FBI in strengthening their defense techniques.”
White is a longtime Trump supporter who spoke at the president’s victory rally last year.
In October, White and Trump announced they would be staging several UFC bouts at the White House on June 14 as part of the Trump administration’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
That date also happens to be Flag Day and the president’s 80th birthday.
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