MMA Fighters Volunteer to Protect Local Drag Show

Real men stand up for what’s right.

MMA fighter Jonathan Haught and his trainees have offered to stand guard at a West Virginia restaurant that wanted to host a drag show after the show was canceled due to threats of violence.

After Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar in Triadelphia, West Virginia, canceled a planned drag show “due to the amount of threats” the event’s organizers received, Haught and his trainees at the local MMA gym offered their service.

“I’m not afraid to stand up to people, and I train to fight people all day, every day, so if somebody really wants to attack somebody, let them attack me instead,” Haught, who is the owner of Ohio Valley MMA in Wheeling, West Virginia, said. “Don’t attack the drag queens.”

The drag brunch, featuring several local queens, was set for this past Sunday, but event organizers S&S productions announced it was canceled earlier in the month.

“We were so incredibly excited to bring you a fabulous brunch to Wheeling WV. Unfortunately due to the amount of threats towards Primantis, the entertainers, & sometimes even patrons, we've decided for the safety of everyone involved to cancel the event,” the group posted on Facebook. “We couldn't wait to party with you all, support the local lgbtqia+ community, and show that a little glitter never hurt anyone. We hope in the near future we can try to bring another brunch to the area — we were only 2 tables away from a fabulous sold-out event so we know yall want us there!”

Primanti Bros. has not been able to reschedule the event yet, but Haught and his students are ready whenever it does.

“I volunteer myself and my fighters to stand guard so that people can do exactly what they want to do,” he said.

Haught says he’s attended drag shows in the past and that people who have a problem with them don’t actually know anything about what they’re talking about.

“The basis of this is ignorance. The politicians that fight against drag shows, they’ve never been to a drag show.”