(‘Personal liberty and solid ground-and-pound, these are the principles this country was founded on.’)

For reasons that are still unclear, Ron Paul supporters recently sponsored IFL welterweight champion Jay Hieron in his title defense against Mark Miller on April 4. Why did a Texas congressman who no longer has any feasible chance in his presidential campaign sponsor a mixed martial arts fighter from Long Island?

We have no idea, but here are our three best guesses:

1. Only hardcore fans know who either of them are.

2. Ron Paul’s no-taxes-for-service-sector-employees stance fits right in with Hieron’s commitment to supporting local strippers, who work too hard for that money to give it away to a government that doesn’t truly respect the lap dance.

3. Both are fervent supporters of the right to bare arms (pun!).

Okay, that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. My point is, the whole thing is strange. If anyone out there thinks they can come up with a better Jay Hieron-Ron Paul joke, I’d love to hear it. I’ll just warn you that it’s harder than it seems.

In the meantime, enjoy this video of Hieron putting a whipping on Mark Miller. Look close and you can catch Ron Paul’s name on the coveted ass-sponsor section of Hieron’s trunks.