It appears that Dana White’s well-known admiration for President
Trump is mutual.
President of the United States, Donald Trump, whose early support
for the Ultimate Fighting Championship is frequently
mentioned in the narrative of the promotion’s rise, affirmed his
close relationship with UFC President Dana White at a campaign
rally on Sept. 13. In his remarks, Trump praised White, stating
that White not only helped make MMA a popular sport, but also made
a lot of money when the UFC was sold to Endeavor.
“He can make everything,” Trump said. “He is so smart, so tough, so
cunning. He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. I’ve been a
friend of his.”
The friendship between White and Trump dates back to 2001, when
Trump allowed the UFC to host events at the Trump Taj Mahal and
other Trump venues while other arenas rejected them. At the 2016
Republican National Convention, White publicly endorsed Trump,
support that he has reaffirmed ahead of the 2020 election by
speaking on the President’s behalf as well as donating $1 million
to a committee that supports Trump’s re-election.
“He also loves his fighters. He wants to take care of his fighters,
and he brought some of them along, the best,” Trump added,
referring to former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby
Covington (15-2), retired former UFC two-division champion
Henry
Cejudo (16-2) and current interim UFC lightweight champion
Justin
Gaethje (22-2), who sat beside White and prominent MMA manager
Ali Abdelaziz.
Trump also had some words of praise for Covington, who has been an
outspoken supporter of the president. “Chaos” visited the White
House back in 2018 after winning the interim welterweight title,
and had Trump family members as cageside guests for his
unsuccessful title shot against Kamaru
Usman at UFC 245.
“He is a great fighter,” Trump said. A few moments before, the
POTUS urged Republicans to follow Covington’s example and fight
like him. Shortly after the rally, Covington and Trump met
backstage, where Trump gave Covington encouragement for his
upcoming fight against Tyron
Woodley at UFC Fight Night 178.
“I’m going to be watching Colby, I’m a big fan of Colby,” he
stated. “He is a winner. He is a champ. It’s going to be a great
evening and a great fight.”
The president also said that he would watch the main event of UFC
254 on Oct. 24, where he expects Gaethje to knock out Khabib
Nurmagomedov.
“He said he’s going to knock him out,” Trump said. “Well, we’re
going to be watching. It’s right before the election, but I think
I’m going to be watching it, OK? I’ll be watching it. You better
believe it. It’s going to be an incredible fight.”