Ben Fowlkes
At a glance
- Uncrowned analyst since its 2024 launch
- Co-host of The Co-Main Event since 2012
- Part of The Athletic's founding MMA team in 2019
Overview
Ben Fowlkes is an MMA journalist and columnist based in Missoula, Montana. He has written for MMA Junkie, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and The New York Times, and he worked at MMA Fighting alongside Ariel Helwani.
In 2019 he was part of The Athletic's founding MMA team. In 2024 he joined Uncrowned, the combat sports brand Yahoo Sports launched in partnership with Ariel Helwani, as an analyst. Uncrowned covers MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. The Athletic's MMA team, launched in 2019, brought together alumni of MMA Junkie, ESPN, MMA Fighting, and Bleacher Report. Uncrowned officially launched in October 2024, with an event at the Yahoo Sportsbook at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
What you'll find
On Uncrowned you will read his columns and long-form analysis. He covers events, fighters' career arcs, and the bigger questions running through MMA, such as how promotions operate and where fighters stand within them.
Since 2012 he has also co-hosted The Co-Main Event podcast. The show covers the news, results, and upcoming fights in a conversational format. His Uncrowned work also touches boxing and pro wrestling, in line with the rest of the newsroom.
Why follow
Fowlkes has written about MMA for a long time and for very different outlets, from specialist sites like MMA Junkie to general publications like The New York Times. He knows how to explain a combat sports story to someone who does not follow MMA every week.
His angle is analysis. His pieces take the time to put a fight or a decision in context, with the perspective of years on the beat. At Uncrowned he works with editor in chief Shaheen Al-Shatti and Chuck Mindenhall, a colleague from The Athletic.
MMA Official's take
Ben Fowlkes is a fit for readers who prefer thoughtful long-form writing over quick news hits, and for listeners who enjoy podcasts built on conversation between journalists.
Start with one of his Uncrowned columns published the day after a major UFC card, where you get a read on the night that goes beyond the results. Then listen to an episode of The Co-Main Event, the podcast he has co-hosted since 2012, to hear him debate the news. Those columns show you how he builds an argument from his own reporting and interviews, which is the core of his work at Uncrowned.