They train in jujitsu gyms near Nashville's Armory Drive. They host fight exhibitions at private compounds in East Tennessee. They infiltrate martial arts academies where children as young as three train. They call it getting fit. Experts call it building a neo-Nazi militia.

The Active Club movement — a decentralized network of white nationalist fight clubs operating out of gyms, general stores, and private property across Middle Tennessee — has been steadily expanding for years. A new investigation by NewsChannel 5 has pulled back the curtain on a network that blends combat sports with fascist ideology, recruits teenagers, and operates with alarming impunity in the Volunteer State.

This is not your grandfather's Klan. It's worse. It's organized, it's disciplined, and according to the nation's leading extremism researchers, it's preparing for violence.

The Network: From California Riots to Tennessee Gyms

The Active Club network was founded by Robert Rundo, a self-identified fascist and white nationalist who launched the movement in 2021 while hiding out in Serbia to avoid federal charges for violently assaulting protesters at political rallies across California. Rundo, a former member of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), was caught on video attacking a Trump protester at a 2017 California rally. In December 2024, he was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to riot — a charge stemming from organized violence at rallies in Huntington Beach, Berkeley, San Bernardino, and Charlottesville.

The U.S. Department of Justice documented Rundo's role in what it called "planning and engaging in riots at political rallies across California." He was also convicted of gang assault in New York at age 19, according to sentencing memos. After his release from federal prison — time served — Rundo was placed on parole with conditions requiring periodic monitoring of his electronic devices.

But the movement he built didn't stop growing. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that Active Clubs expanded from 12 chapters in 2022 to 42 by 2025. And Tennessee sits at the center of the network's operations in the American South.

Rundo has described the fight exhibitions his followers participate in as a "tip-off point for a fascist cultural revolution." He added: "Every victorious nationalist movement was forged by hardened men who already tasted real danger."

White supremacist marchers in masks and khaki uniforms carrying American flags march outside the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville

Who Runs the Tennessee Active Club

Sean Kauffmann — The Head of the Snake

The Tennessee Active Club is run by Sean Kauffmann, a figure described by the Stop Antisemitism watchdog group as "a disturbed neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier with a documented history of violence and a massive cache of firearms."

Kauffmann's criminal record is extensive. In November 2021, he was convicted of two counts of domestic assault in Perry County, Tennessee, according to local court records. In March 2024, he was arrested again — this time for allegedly assaulting his female partner by "punching her numerous times in the face and head, while she was holding their infant son," according to the Perry County Sheriff's Office arrest report. The case was documented through a public records request filed by journalist Eric Levai via MuckRock.

Kauffmann is currently sitting in a Perry County jail, awaiting trial on a domestic violence charge. His bond was revoked in December 2025 after he gave NewsChannel 5's camera the middle finger in open court — an act of contempt that the judge found warranted revoking his freedom.

But Kauffmann's influence extends far beyond his jail cell. In audio messages obtained by the SPLC, Kauffmann confirmed his dual membership in both the Active Clubs and Patriot Front, stating: "I have worked heavily with Patriot Front. I have been part of Patriot Front." A leaked internal report from Patriot Front describes the Tennessee Active Club as "ran by member. Heavily cooperative" — confirming that Kauffmann's operation is essentially a subsidiary recruitment arm of the larger white nationalist organization.

Under Kauffmann's leadership, the Tennessee Active Club has organized networking events, fight clubs, and propaganda campaigns across the state. His mother was even photographed wearing a Tennessee Active Club shirt, which the group shared on its Telegram channel in January 2023.

Tristan Rettke — The Public Face

One of the few public faces of the Tennessee Active Club network is Tristan Rettke, a Nashville-area EMT who fights under the alias "Sporty" and sports a trademark handlebar mustache. Rettke has been documented participating in white nationalist fight exhibitions across the country — from Texas to Virginia.

Rettke's history of racially charged provocations goes back years. In 2016, while a freshman at East Tennessee State University, he showed up at a Black Lives Matter protest wearing a gorilla suit, overalls, and dangling bananas on ropes. He was indicted on civil rights intimidation charges in 2017. In July 2019, a Washington County jury found him guilty of one misdemeanor count of disrupting a meeting, while acquitting him of two counts of civil rights intimidation and two counts of disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to judicial diversion and six months of unsupervised probation.

Now Rettke has resurfaced in the Active Club scene. In October 2025, the Guardian reported that he participated in "Slaughter Smokey Mountain" — an exhibition with a Russian street fighting organization tied to neo-Nazi networks. In April 2026, the Guardian again identified him among participants in riot-style combat events at a compound in Virginia. Video from a "Spring Brawl" event shows Rettke competing alongside someone holding a flag for the Hammerskins, one of the oldest and most violent neo-Nazi skinhead organizations in the world.

When NewsChannel 5's Phil Williams confronted Rettke outside a Nashville-area jujitsu gym, his response was telling: "What are you guys fighting for?" Williams asked. "Sorry, man. I'm not answering any questions." "Robert Rundo says this is part of a fascist cultural revolution. Are you a fascist?" No answer. Rettke simply walked away.

Following NewsChannel 5's reporting, the gym's new owner, Nick Britt, banned Rettke from the facility. "Things like that don't fly anymore," Britt said. "We're inclusive, and we've got every color under the rainbow — and every one of them is my brother."

The Teen Recruitment Pipeline

Perhaps most disturbing is the network's deliberate targeting of teenagers. NewsChannel 5 identified Logan Gulbranson, a young man first encountered at a Franklin, Tennessee candidate forum three years ago, participating in Active Club fight exhibitions. Gulbranson later sent NewsChannel 5 a photo showing off his swastika tattoo, taunting the investigators.

In June 2025, the Guardian reported on Telegram accounts showing many Active Clubs had participants between the ages of 16 and 18. The Counter Extremism Project's Alexander Ritzmann — a leading researcher on the movement — warned that Rundo "laid out the principle recruiting strategy, which includes reaching out to minors at schools."

Where They Operate: The Tennessee Infrastructure

The Tennessee Active Club has operated out of multiple locations across the state:

Lewis Country Store (Nashville area): A Second Amendment-themed gas station and general store owned by Brad Lewis, who has described himself as "an actual literal Nazi." The SPLC revealed in 2023 that the second floor of the store was being used as a "white nationalist fight club" by the Tennessee Active Club. The store became a gathering point for fight training and networking events. Lewis told Rolling Stone that the Active Club members were "friends."

Shelbyville BJJ Academy (Shelbyville): In June 2025, the Guardian revealed that the South Central Tennessee Active Club had been secretly using this Brazilian jiu-jitsu school for combat training — a facility that offers classes to children as young as three. Video posted to Telegram showed Active Club members training at the academy with a sonnenrad flag — an ancient symbol co-opted by Nazi Germany — hanging on the wall. One participant, William Chase May, was identified by the Guardian through Smoothcomp competition records showing he received his blue belt from the academy in 2023. After the Guardian's inquiry, the academy confirmed May had been banned and changed keypad access codes. The school stated: "That type of behavior at our gym is a direct violation of our code of ethics."

Patriot Front Compound (Tellico Plains): A 122-acre property in East Tennessee, located between Chattanooga and Knoxville, serves as a training compound operated by Patriot Front. The facility is managed by Ian Michael Elliott, a longtime Patriot Front leader who also serves as bodyguard for the group's founder, Thomas Rousseau. CNN reported in December 2025 that the building where Elliott conducted training had been put up for sale, though Patriot Front intends to continue developing the surrounding land into a larger compound. The facility has hosted combat training events and grapple tournaments involving Active Club members from across the country.

Commercial Gyms (Nashville area): The Active Club has also used commercial jujitsu gyms near Armory Drive in Nashville. Photos show Patriot Front recruiter Ian Elliott training at the same facility where Rettke worked out.

Rows of masked men in matching khaki outfits carrying flags and shields marching down a city street in formation

The Patriot Front Connection: The Hidden Hand

The most significant revelation about the Tennessee Active Club is who actually controls it. In May 2025, the SPLC published a bombshell report based on leaked internal documents and audio messages revealing that Patriot Front — the most active white nationalist group in the United States — is the "hidden hand" behind approximately a dozen Active Clubs across the country, including the Tennessee chapter.

Patriot Front, led by Thomas Rousseau, operates from a command center in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The group was responsible for producing the majority of white supremacist propaganda in the U.S. in recent years, according to researchers. In 2024 alone, Patriot Front members posted more than 5,000 pieces of racist propaganda across the country — 10 times more than any other group, according to the SPLC's hate flyering map.

The leaked report categorized Active Clubs into tiers: "subsidiary recruiting projects" directly controlled by Patriot Front, "cooperative independent clubs," and "non-cooperative" chapters. The Tennessee Active Club fell into the most entwined category — described as "ran by member. Heavily cooperative."

Financial ties between the two organizations run deep. A leaked banking document obtained by the nonprofit media outlet Unicorn Riot revealed that a Patriot Front inner-circle member, Graham Whitson, established a bank account for Will2Rise — a white nationalist clothing brand founded by Rundo and Grady Mayfield — with a projected monthly income of $10,000. Whitson is Rousseau's former roommate and Patriot Front's chief propagandist.

The Russian Connection

The Active Club movement has also developed international ties that should alarm every American. The Guardian revealed in October 2025 that the network has collaborated with a Russian street fighting organization, with Tennessee fighters participating in joint exhibitions. Ian Elliott's Patria Gloria — a white nationalist grappling team affiliated with Patriot Front — invited Active Clubs to train at the Tellico Plains compound, and Elliott has been listed as joining a Russian promoter's stable of fighters.

This transnational dimension is not new. Researchers have documented that the Active Club concept was co-created by Rundo and a Russian neo-Nazi active in Eastern Europe, establishing a bridge between American white supremacist networks and far-right movements abroad.

Political Ties: From Local Candidates to the Federal Government

The Tennessee Active Club's influence has already reached into mainstream politics. In 2023, during Franklin mayoral candidate Gabrielle Hanson's campaign, Active Club members — including Sean Kauffmann and Brad Lewis — provided what they called "security" at a candidate forum. The neo-Nazi group claimed Hanson had requested their presence. Hanson, who shared Active Club Telegram posts on her own social media, was the listing agent for Lewis Country Store. She denied any association with white supremacy, but the Active Club members insisted she had invited them.

The network's connections to federal power are even more troubling. Ian Michael Elliott — the Patriot Front leader running the Tellico Plains compound — was hired by Knight Division Tactical, a federal security contractor that has been awarded millions of dollars by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Guardian reported in February 2026 that Elliott participated in "crisis relief missions" on the U.S. west coast for the company, which held $1.8 million in USDA contracts in fiscal year 2024 and $2.1 million in 2025. Elliott left a five-star review on the company's Google Maps page.

The USDA's response was revealing: "Companies contracted by the US Department of Agriculture's Forest Service manage their own hiring, background checks and oversight of personnel, independent of the agency." A basic Google search on Elliott's name would have revealed his role as a senior Patriot Front figure. This kind of government negligence in vetting far-right operatives fits a pattern in the Trump era, where federal agencies have repeatedly failed to screen for extremist affiliations among contractors and appointees.

The January 6 Connection

While no specific Tennessee Active Club member has been charged in the January 6 attack, the Patriot Front — the organization secretly controlling the Tennessee chapter — has direct ties to the insurrection. Nathaniel Noyce, a Patriot Front member from Richmond, Virginia, was arrested in April 2024 and charged with assaulting law enforcement officers, civil disorder, and violent and disorderly conduct at the U.S. Capitol. Noyce, who was first identified by the open-source intelligence group Unicorn Ninja via police video from a Nazi rally in Washington, D.C., was among the Patriot Front members who participated in the breach of Congress.

Patriot Front itself was formed following the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017 — the same rally where Rundo and his Rise Above Movement comrades engaged in organized violence against counter-protesters. As we documented when Patriot Front marched through Washington DC on America's 250th birthday, the group's public demonstrations serve as both recruitment drives and intimidation tactics. On January 20, 2025, President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of everyone convicted of January 6-related crimes, including those who violently assaulted police officers — setting a precedent that far-right militants have clearly taken to heart.

The Threat: What They're Actually Training For

Alexander Ritzmann, the Counter Extremism Project senior adviser who has studied Active Clubs for years, does not mince words. "This is not just a national sports club or nationalist sports club," he told NewsChannel 5. "In its essence, it's the strategy to build a neo-Nazi militia."

In their own propaganda, Rundo and his followers liken themselves to Italy's fascist Blackshirts and Adolf Hitler's Stormtroopers — the paramilitary forces that paved the way for some of the worst atrocities in human history. When asked what battle they're preparing for, Ritzmann answered: "They say, we are preparing for the time when a white supremacist leader is worth and in need of protection."

Kristofer Goldsmith, a veteran who heads Task Force Butler — a nonprofit that trains veterans to infiltrate extremist groups — put it bluntly: "They aren't just exhibitions. They are physically training, as we do in the military, to be able to, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, cause physical harm to another human being."

Goldsmith added: "It is far, far, far easier for a white supremacist to go and to, you know, punch someone in the face, to hit someone with a baseball bat if they've spent a few months punching their friend in the face for practice."

The network is already celebrating real-world violence. After mobs of masked white men attacked immigrants in Belfast following a stabbing incident, Rundo's Telegram channels posted celebratory messages: "white boy summer is starting off hot this year." This enthusiasm for street-level racial violence mirrors the escalating far-right mobilization we've tracked across American cities, where federal immigration enforcement has emboldened white nationalist militants who see themselves as foot soldiers in the same movement. Another post recited the white nationalist slogan: "By God, we'll have our home again." A third warned: "Tomorrow belong[s] to us." The channels even posted operational security advice on how to avoid arrest during race riots — with a boilerplate disclaimer: "For educational purposes only."

The Blueprint for the Next Charlottesville

The Active Club movement represents something new in the American far-right landscape — something that should concern every community in Tennessee and beyond. Unlike the Klan or traditional neo-Nazi groups that operated in the open with robes and swastikas, these fighters use the language of fitness, brotherhood, and self-improvement to mask an ideology built on racial hatred and violent revolution.

They infiltrate legitimate martial arts schools where parents bring their children. They use commercial gyms alongside ordinary people. They leverage their combat sports training as a cover story while preparing for street violence. And they're building transnational connections that extend from Tennessee to Russia.

The experts have been warning about this for years. The Southern Poverty Law Center. The Counter Extremism Project. The Anti-Defamation League(grain of salt). Task Force Butler. NewsChannel 5's Phil Williams, who has faced threats from the very groups he investigates. Their warnings are consistent: the Active Clubs are not harmless workout buddies with edgy politics. They are, in Ritzmann's words, "a neo-Nazi militia hiding in plain sight."

Robert Rundo served 24 months in federal prison. Sean Kauffmann is sitting in a Perry County jail. Tristan Rettke won't answer questions. The gyms that discover what's happening are banning them. But the network continues to grow — 42 chapters and counting, secretly controlled by the most prolific white supremacist propaganda machine in America, with fighters training on a 122-acre compound in East Tennessee and a neo-Nazi federal contractor carrying a gun on the government's dime.

Tennessee is not just a battleground state for elections anymore. It's a battleground for the future of white nationalist violence in America. And the corruption that enables these networks to operate with impunity runs straight through the institutions that should be stopping them. The fight clubs are already training for the next round.