Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently expressed his surprise at the UFC’s safety record, recalling how dangerous the sport seemed in its early days.
Trump, a longtime supporter of the UFC, highlighted how far the sport has come. His connection to the organization dates back to 2001 when UFC CEO Dana White, with backing from the Fertitta brothers, was working to legitimize the struggling promotion.
Trump, impressed with their vision, supported them by hosting UFC 30 at the Trump Taj Mahal, a pivotal moment for the then-fledgling brand.
Since then, the UFC has grown into a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise, and Trump has maintained his association with White, frequently attending UFC events. Despite the sport’s brutality, the UFC has maintained a remarkable safety record, a point Trump still finds surprising given the intense nature of the fights.
In an interview on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Trump remarked:
“Nobody died in the UFC which is shocking because when you look at some of it, right? When you look at it, you’d say they’d have to, like one a night should, you know, probably, will no longer be with us, right?”
Dana White weighs in on UFC fighters and fans support for Donald Trump
Dana White believes the admiration that both UFC fighters and fans have for Donald Trump stems from shared values rather than political allegiance.
As the 2024 presidential elections approach, Trump’s presence and influence remain controversial. Many public figures, including politicians and celebrities, have criticized him, labeling him a threat to American democracy. Despite this, White does not share these concerns.
Speaking to Fox News, White emphasized that the support for Trump within the UFC community is based on “common sense” values, not political bias.
White stated:
“Well, the thing is with our fan base and our fighters, we are all very aligned in life and everything else. It’s not that it’s any real political side, we’re for common sense. It’s all everybody is looking for.”
He added:
“Everybody wants the same thing and anybody in this room, if you let go of the media BS go away, we all want to make a good living, we all want to get a house, we want some nice cars, we want kids, we want to take care of our kids… Everybody wants the same thing, it is not that we don’t. It is just the media has created this divide in this country that needs to go away and hopefully soon it will.”
