{"id":24895,"date":"2025-05-11T09:52:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T09:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-tech-guys-are-fighting-literally\/"},"modified":"2025-05-11T09:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T09:52:39","slug":"the-tech-guys-are-fighting-literally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/the-tech-guys-are-fighting-literally\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tech Guys Are Fighting. Literally."},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Walking into the crowded hotel conference room, Andrew Batey looked like any other tech guy attending ETHDenver, an annual cryptocurrency conference. A venture capital investor based in Florida, Mr. Batey wore a black sweatshirt emblazoned with the logos of more than a dozen crypto companies, with names like LunarCrush and bitSmiley. He had arrived in town with some expensive footwear \u2014 a pair of Off-White Air Jordans, the type of sneaker, he said, that people usually don\u2019t take out of the box.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Batey, however, was at the conference not to network with fellow crypto enthusiasts but to fight one of them \u2014 live on YouTube. At the hotel, a short drive from the conference convention center, he was preparing for his official weigh-in, the final step before a fight the next evening in an arena packed with crypto colleagues. Under the watchful eye of a representative from the Colorado Combative Sports Commission, Mr. Batey, 40, stripped down to his boxers, which were adorned with a cartoon Santa Claus riding a golf cart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He weighed in at just under 195 pounds, on target for the fight. The bare-chested venture capitalist raised his biceps and flexed for the cameras.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The nation\u2019s tech elite, not content with unfathomable wealth and rising political influence in Washington, have recently developed a new obsession \u2014 fighting. Across the United States, men like Mr. Batey are learning to punch, kick, knee, elbow and, in some cases, hammer an opponent over the head with their fists. The figurehead of the movement is Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire chief executive of Meta, who has charted his impressive physical transformation from skinny computer nerd to martial arts fighter on Instagram, one of the apps he owns. A <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DFNkPgRROOS\/?img_index=2\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">recent post<\/a> showed Mr. Zuckerberg, dressed in gym shorts and an American flag T-shirt, grappling his opponent to the ground.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The tech industry\u2019s newfound devotion to martial arts is one facet of a broader cultural shift that has upended U.S. politics. Many of these tech founders turned fighters are chasing a testosterone-heavy ideal of masculinity that is ascendant on social media and embraced by President Trump. An <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/06\/02\/style\/mark-zuckerberg-workout.html\" title=\"\">enthusiastic practitioner<\/a> of Brazilian jujitsu, Mr. Zuckerberg, 40, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7k1ehaE0bdU\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lamented<\/a> this year that corporate culture was getting \u201cneutered\u201d and was devoid of \u201cmasculine energy.\u201d In 2023, Mr. Zuckerberg\u2019s <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/06\/style\/cage-match-fight.html\" title=\"\">fellow billionaire Elon Musk, a longtime corporate rival,<\/a> challenged him to a televised cage match. The fight never took place, though Mr. Musk suggested at one point that he was <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1674635153061330946?s=46&amp;t=Ltr79qbdkM-fKmGNDceYfw\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">willing to do battle<\/a> in the Roman Colosseum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ancient Rome is, in some ways, a useful reference point for this era of ultrarich braggadocio. The wealthiest Romans were fascinated with violent combat. The emperor Commodus even joined in the gladiatorial contests, claiming he had fought as many as 1,000 times. By the early 20th century, fighting was still a popular pastime for the elites: An avid <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/3335\/3335-h\/3335-h.htm\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">boxer<\/a> in his Harvard years, Teddy Roosevelt <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/factcheck\/2021\/11\/05\/fact-check-theodore-roosevelt-partially-blinded-boxing-match\/6280451001\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">regularly sparred<\/a> at the White House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">These days, the rise of mixed martial arts is part of a cultural revanchism that has thrived in the so-called <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/01\/style\/trump-zuckerberg-masculinity.html\" title=\"\">manosphere<\/a>, where hypermasculine online commentators complain that women have become too powerful in the workplace. In this corner of the internet, men are seeking to reclaim a kind of aggressive masculinity that came under scrutiny during the #MeToo era.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It\u2019s the latest iteration of a phenomenon that the feminist writer Susan Faludi described in her 1991 book, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/susanfaludi.com\/backlash.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cBacklash,\u201d<\/a> about how men have historically reacted to advances in women\u2019s rights. In an interview last month, Ms. Faludi said the growing male obsession with fighting amounted to \u201ca boy\u2019s idea of what it means to be a man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cLiving out this childhood fantasy of being pro athletes, that\u2019s just puerile,\u201d she said. \u201cThese guys need to discover yoga.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The urge to fight has recently spilled over from the tech billionaire class to the industry\u2019s trenches, where mere decamillionaires and millionaires now practice martial arts in increasing numbers. Mr. Zuckerberg\u2019s transformation offered a \u201cbeacon of hope\u201d for other executives, Mr. Batey said. \u201cDreamers can latch on to something like this and say, \u2018Maybe it\u2019s possible.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Until lately, though, a run-of-the-mill tech founder hoping to flex his muscles on TV would have had limited options. Then a company called Karate Combat glimpsed a market opportunity.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-b7bd791\">A \u2018Clout-Forming Exercise\u2019<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Most of the tech world\u2019s aspiring fighters have a crucial thing in common: Before they started pursuing their extravagant new hobby, they made a lot of money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In 2018, Mr. Batey founded Beatdapp, a company that develops software to eliminate fraud in music streaming. He also runs a venture capital firm, Side Door Ventures, that invests in crypto start-ups. Like many of his colleagues, Mr. Batey is the consummate pitchman. Even the miracle of life is an opportunity for crypto evangelism. When friends are expecting a baby, Mr. Batey said, he gives them Bitcoin (worth more than $100,000 at today\u2019s prices) and asks them not to sell until their child turns 18.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI always hated giving people like a onesie,\u201d he said. \u201cI hate the concept of giving somebody something that they could easily afford.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Two years ago, Mr. Batey\u2019s venture fund invested $500,000 in Karate Combat, a would-be competitor to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The league operates as a hybrid between an athletic competition and a tech start-up. Rather than offering traditional shares, Karate Combat gave Mr. Batey\u2019s firm Karate tokens \u2014 a cryptocurrency that fans <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/karate.com\/terms-and-conditions\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">can wager<\/a> on Karate Combat fights, which stream on YouTube as well as TV channels like ESPN Deportes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Karate Combat\u2019s primary business is professional fighting \u2014 mixed martial arts contests featuring seasoned athletes, some of whom also fight in U.F.C. (A representative for Karate Combat declined to reveal how much money the league generates.) Last year, the company created a new competition for amateurs and started offering it as the undercard at pro events, which are sometimes held at crypto conferences. The competition was called Influencer Fight Club, and its premise was simple: Put a couple of tech guys in the ring and see what happens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Karate Combat\u2019s fights have an extensive following on <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AltcoinGordon\/status\/1898265745982910568\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Crypto Twitter<\/a>, and Influencer Fight Club has helped attract more of those super-online fans. Over the last 18 months, the competition has featured some big names in the crypto world, including Nic Carter, a venture investor known for his combative posts on X, where he has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nic__carter\/status\/1905453032864661993\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">attacked<\/a> government regulators and questioned the efficacy of Covid vaccines. At a crypto conference in Nashville last summer, Mr. Carter, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nic__carter\/status\/1817640959468765268\/photo\/1\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">boasting<\/a> an impressive physique, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/InfluFightClub\/status\/1821211950849618379\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">knocked<\/a> out a tattooed <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/karate.com\/fighters\/coty-kuhn\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">crypto marketer<\/a> in one round. On social media, he was hailed as \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PietroMoran\/status\/1817702941760819378\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">kingly<\/a>\u201d and adopted the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nic__carter\/status\/1774111386546692357\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">nickname<\/a> \u201cTungsten Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is an amazing clout-forming exercise,\u201d Mr. Carter said in a recent interview. \u201cNot to be cynical about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Batey attended an Influencer Fight Club event in Austin, Texas, last year and decided he wanted to fight, too. Once an amateur athlete who dabbled in boxing, he had gained a lot of weight as his career took off, eventually carrying 283 pounds on his 5-foot, 10-inch frame. He was about to turn 40 and needed to get into shape for health reasons. But he also wanted to have the sort of athletic experience usually reserved for serious fighters, who sometimes train their entire lives for the chance to compete on TV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is my 40th birthday party \u2014 me fighting,\u201d Mr. Batey explained. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s a midlife crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For four months, Mr. Batey put his career on hold and spent $75,000 on a trainer, a nutritionist and a rotating cast of professional sparring partners. After the fight was scheduled for ETHDenver, a conference devoted to the cryptocurrency Ethereum, he booked a block of nearly 30 hotel rooms to accommodate his friends and supporters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The training was transformative, Mr. Batey said. He developed muscles he hadn\u2019t seen in 20 years. Masculinity \u201cdoesn\u2019t factor into how I think about it,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I definitely feel more masculine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At first Mr. Batey had trouble finding a suitable opponent. Last year, he went to New York to spar with Billy McFarland, the creator of Fyre Festival, the fraudulent music event that inspired a Netflix documentary. But Mr. McFarland backed out after Karate Combat refused to guarantee him a $100,000 appearance fee, Mr. Batey said. Mr. McFarland declined to comment. (Payouts vary across Karate Combat\u2019s influencer fights. One contract reviewed by The New York Times offered a $2,000 participation fee and a bonus of $10,000 in Karate tokens if the fighter landed a knockout punch.) A second possible opponent declined to fight Mr. Batey over concerns about the venue: He couldn\u2019t appear at an Ethereum conference because he was loyal to Solana, a rival cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By January, Mr. Batey was worried the fight wouldn\u2019t come together in time. Then a solution emerged: Chauncey St. John, a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/better.giving\/about-us\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">crypto entrepreneur<\/a> based in upstate New York.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. St. John does not seem much like a fighter. \u201cI\u2019ve got this Mr. Rogers vibe to me,\u201d he said recently. But he had endured his share of hardship in the crypto world. In 2021, he founded Angel Protocol, a start-up that aimed to help charities raise money using crypto. Unfortunately, he steered his clients toward an investment platform tied to Luna, a digital currency whose price crashed overnight in 2022, setting off a meltdown in the crypto markets that erased much of what the charities had raised.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After the Luna crash, Mr. St. John, 38, retreated from public view. He reimbursed the charities with money his firm had saved up and embraced Christianity, searching for meaning in the worst moment of his career. One day in January, Mr. St. John was scrolling on his phone when he glanced at a group chat that included other crypto enthusiasts. His eyes fell on a message from an industry colleague who goes by the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheDegenBoii\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">nickname<\/a> \u201cThe Degen Boii\u201d: Karate Combat needed a fighter for ETHDenver.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The invitation \u201cfelt like testimony from God,\u201d Mr. St. John said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For part of his life, he said, he didn\u2019t fit in with other men, and sometimes wondered if he was gay. (He is now married to a woman.) Here was a chance to re-enter the crypto industry, re-establish his public profile and lay claim to what he calls \u201cdivine masculinity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make it so equality means there\u2019s no difference between the genders,\u201d Mr. St. John said. \u201cThere\u2019s a healthy masculinity that\u2019s been thrown out, baby with the bathwater-style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He signed a contract and booked a flight to Denver.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-25ee3d37\">Nerds Trying \u2018to Man Up\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A few hours after the weigh-in, Mr. Batey drove to the Stockyards Event Center, a sprawling venue on the outskirts of Denver where Karate Combat had erected four sets of stands, overlooking a pit lined with mats. An extensive entourage came along: two trainers, a couple of fighters from Mr. Batey\u2019s gym and a filmmaker shooting footage for a documentary about his transformation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With 24 hours to go until the fight, it was time for the ceremonial face-off, an opportunity for ostentatious trash talk. On the edge of the pit, the league\u2019s president, Asim Zaidi, summoned the two crypto founders forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Batey drew close to Mr. St. John, almost nose to nose. \u201cAre you gonna kiss me?\u201d Mr. St. John asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019ll find out,\u201d Mr. Batey replied.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When the theatrics concluded, Mr. St. John walked down to the pit. Unlike Mr. Batey, he had not had much time to prepare; his entourage consisted of a single person, a trainer with no pro fighting experience, whom he had met a few months earlier in the \u201cIndigenous spirituality community,\u201d he said. Alone in the ring, Mr. St. John started to shadow box.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A few feet away, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.krftwrk.co\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Chiheb Soumer<\/a>, a former professional kick boxer, was watching him closely. A native of Hamburg, Germany, Mr. Soumer, 36, had once worked as an in-house trainer for Snap in Los Angeles, teaching tech employees how to box. He traveled to Denver as Mr. Batey\u2019s trainer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI love to see these nerds all of a sudden try to man up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-11\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even by martial-arts standards, Mr. Soumer cuts an uncompromising figure, dispensing blunt insults in a deep, accented voice, vaguely reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is particularly attuned to any sign that someone is \u201csoft\u201d \u2014 an unforgivable frailty that, in his view, explains all manner of embarrassing conduct.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-12\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThat\u2019s a very soft statement,\u201d Mr. Soumer had observed just a few hours before the face-off, when Mr. Batey lamented that he\u2019d had to give up lattes to lose weight for the fight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Soumer was unimpressed with Mr. Batey\u2019s opponent \u2014 or \u201cthis kid Chauncey,\u201d as he called him. \u201cNo arms, no shoulder,\u201d he said, with the clinical air of a horse breeder offering his verdict on a wobbly foal.<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>Outside the Stockyards, Mr. Soumer mimed a series of stuttering lunges, while the rest of Mr. Batey\u2019s entourage roared with laughter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cBro, soft,\u201d Mr. Soumer said. \u201cSoft like butter, bro.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Batey grinned. \u201cI\u2019ve never had more confidence for anything in my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He turned to Mr. Soumer. \u201cAfter I knock him out, should I donate my winnings to his charity?\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cNo,\u201d Mr. Soumer replied. \u201cKeep it for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-43f1469a\">In the Ring on Fight Night<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On fight night at the Stockyards, the enemy combatants warmed up a few feet from each other as the arena slowly filled with spectators \u2014 men in crypto T-shirts and backward baseball caps, swigging beer and taking photos. At 6 p.m., a roar spread through the building, as Mr. St. John and Mr. Batey <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QFkmwaoJnas&amp;t=2305s\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">slid into the pit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-13\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">What followed more closely resembled a schoolyard scrap than a professional martial-arts bout. The choreographed moves that Mr. Batey had rehearsed were nowhere to be seen. Over and over, he threw punches and missed, lunging forward and then lurching back. Mr. St. John swung his arms wildly, whirling in a circle, like a helicopter. Next to the pit, a panel of announcers offered live analysis for the YouTube audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhat they lack in technical, they make up for in the heart,\u201d one commentator said. His partner offered a blunter assessment: \u201cIt\u2019s hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By the end of the first round, Mr. Batey\u2019s nose was bleeding heavily. But soon he forced Mr. St. John to the ground and straddled him, raining punches down onto his head. Within 10 seconds, the referee intervened: Mr. St. John couldn\u2019t continue. It was over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Batey held his arms aloft and started to dance, thrusting his pelvis toward the crowd. \u201cI just want to thank my wife,\u201d he told the cheering crowd. \u201cThank you for supporting me, making my meals, putting the kids to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Backstage, Mr. St. John was smiling. \u201cI didn\u2019t embarrass myself,\u201d he said. All the effort had been worth it. He would happily do it over again<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-14\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That night, Mr. Batey went out to celebrate. He had showered, changed and cleaned up his face, except for a single streak of dried blood that was intact on the bridge of his nose. At the entrance to a party near Civic Center Park, Mr. Batey informed the bouncer that he had featured in \u201ca pro fight tonight, a fight on TV.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The bouncer didn\u2019t seem impressed. But Mr. Batey found a more appreciative audience on the dance floor, where his friends swarmed him, offering hugs and fist bumps. Soon a chant went up: \u201cBatey, Batey, Batey, Batey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Away from the group, Mr. Batey confided that at the arena, not long after the fight, he had approached Mr. St. John to express his respect and gratitude \u2014 and to make clear that he was \u201cproud of him, as a human.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. St. John had fought hard, Mr. Batey said. Maybe someday they would be friends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHe\u2019s a good guy,\u201d Mr. Batey said. \u201cWe\u2019re both just good dudes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Kitty Bennett<!-- --> contributed research.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/11\/technology\/tech-crypto-martial-arts.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Walking into the crowded hotel conference room, Andrew Batey looked like any other tech guy attending ETHDenver, an annual cryptocurrency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[7020,1004,250,511,4610,7021,1175,130,3383,121,510,118,7022,4642,176,125,129],"class_list":["post-24895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-beatdapp-software-inc","tag-colorado","tag-content-type-personal-profile","tag-elon","tag-ethereum-foundation","tag-faludi","tag-high-net-worth-individuals","tag-mark-e","tag-men-and-boys","tag-meta-platforms-inc","tag-musk","tag-social-media","tag-susan","tag-ultimate-fighting-championship","tag-virtual-currency","tag-x-formerly-twitter","tag-zuckerberg"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Tech Guys Are Fighting. 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