MJF addressed the Israel-Gaza conflict, his personal views on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a rise in anti-Semitism directed at him during a wide-ranging interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, saying he is not in support of what is happening in Israel and finds the conflation of his Jewish identity with Israeli government policy bizarre.
The discussion came after Helwani mentioned receiving anti-Semitic attacks online following his public criticism of MMA fighter Sean Strickland.
MJF said he has noticed increased anti-Semitism directed at him tied to the conflict, even though he has no connection to Israel or its government.
“I’m not in support of what’s going on right now in Israel. I think a lot of stuff that’s going on right now is super inhumane, and I can’t back it, and I personally don’t like Netanyahu, not a fan.”
He said that even stating his opposition to Netanyahu does not stop the attacks.
“Even when I say I’m not a fan of Netanyahu, there’s still people that go, ‘F–king Jew.’ It’s like, wait, I’m literally… you can’t win.”
He outlined why the targeting of American Jews over Israeli policy makes no sense to him.
“Last time I checked, I’m not Israeli. Last time I checked, I was born American. Last time I checked, I am not in the Israeli government. Last time I checked, I don’t have a relationship with Bibi Netanyahu. I’m not telling him what to do. So it’s just weird. I do think it’s weird to hate American Jews who aren’t outwardly supporting either side.”
He said anti-Semitism is not new to his career and described channeling it as motivation from a young age.
“I’ve been dealing with anti-Semitism my entire career. It’s not gonna go away. I just use it as more fuel to the fire. I got a roll of quarters thrown at me, and I was told pick it up, Jew boy, at a very young age, and I was like, I’m gonna get in the gym and beat the f–king sh-t out of these guys, and I did.”
MJF and Helwani also discussed the word Zionism, with MJF expressing that he believes the word’s meaning has shifted in public discourse in a way he finds unfortunate.
“I do, unfortunately, feel Zionism no longer means what it meant when I was a kid and what I was told it meant. Zionism when I was a kid meant be proud to be Jewish and be proud of the fact that we have a place to live in Israel. I don’t think that’s what it means anymore.”
Helwani disagreed, arguing the word’s original meaning is unchanged and that others have deliberately misappropriated it. The two came to the conversation from similar backgrounds but landed in different places on that specific point.
MJF challenges AEW World Champion Darby Allin in a Hair vs. Title match this Sunday at AEW Double or Nothing.
The full MJF interview is available on The Ariel Helwani Show on YouTube:
