Image source, Getty Images
- author, Sam Cabral
- role, BBC News, Washington
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The president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is scheduled to take the stage on Thursday night before Donald Trump formally accepts the Republican presidential nomination just days after the assassination attempt.
Trump has welcomed one of his most vocal nonpolitical supporters, Dana White, and his wildly popular fighting franchise, hosting a number of live events for the franchise while he has been engaged in a legal battle over the past year.
The UFC boss, who has an unfiltered, unconventional style similar to that of President Trump, will now act as the frontman, introducing his longtime friend at the Republican National Convention finale.
Their friendship dates back to at least 2001.
At the time, White, an Irish-American college dropout who had become a boxing instructor, had worked his way up from managing two mixed martial arts (MMA) champions to becoming president of UFC.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) had been in decline since then-US Senator John McCain led the push to ban MMA from the UFC, calling it “human cockfighting,” and relegating MMA events to smaller markets.
“The brand was so bad, the venues didn't need us, the arenas didn't need us,” White said in 2022.
But after New Jersey legalized the sport in 2000, he continued, “Trump literally called us. He said, 'Come to my house, do an event here. We'll welcome you at the Trump Taj Mahal.'
The now-closed Atlantic City casino and hotel hosted the mixed martial arts events UFC 31 and UFC 32, and Trump appeared at the first bout and stayed until the end of both, White said.
Both events raised the company's profile and helped it secure larger venues for future events. Today, UFC is the world's largest mixed martial arts organisation and is currently valued at $12.3 billion (£9.5 billion).
Image source, Getty Images
And White remained loyal to Trump throughout his transition from business to politics.
While campaigning for his friend at the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump praised him as a “hard worker with great business acumen” in a short but impassioned speech.
“I know warriors,” he said. “Donald Trump is a warrior and I know he'll fight for this country.”
He endorsed Trump again at the 2020 Republican National Convention, defending his record in office and saying his re-election was “vitally important.”
He was blunt in his words and his attitude, and the UFC chief executive said: [expletive]”On blending business and politics.”
He's no stranger to controversy himself, admitting last year that he slapped his wife after a drunken altercation at a New Year's Eve party that was caught on video. He later apologised.
Trump, who faces criminal, civil and other legal challenges since leaving office, has been a frequent guest at White's special events.
Image source, Getty Images
Trump has attended at least four such events in the past year, often making a fighter jet-style entrance complete with background music and an entourage.
His last scheduled hearing was canceled last Saturday after an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The UFC has many fighters who are vocal supporters of traditional conservative values, including self-described “pro-American patriots.”
While there are female fighters, the sport represents a hyper-masculine character that arguably fits the image created by the Trump campaign.
Each time, Trump was greeted with rapturous applause from the clearly partisan crowd and sat in VIP seats near the Octagon, or the main fighting ring.
But other sports, including Nascar and the PGA Tour, which have Trump-friendly crowds, and the previously Trump-friendly WWE, are unlikely to replicate this growing affection.
Image source, Getty Images
Meanwhile, the assassination attempt on President Trump has strengthened his friends' support for his reelection.
“Everyone wants to act like a tough guy. [expletive] “Once the trial is over, we'll know who the tough guys are and who the not tough guys are,” White said on The Pat McAfee Show this week.
“This man is truly the ultimate, greatest villain in American history.”
Media reports said Trump rewrote his nomination speech on Thursday to include an explicit call for unity in the wake of Saturday's shooting.
But if White's previous convention speeches are any indication, the introduction to the main event may not strike the same conciliatory tone.
The event will also feature a speech from controversial wrestling legend Hulk Hogan.
And, as one Trump rep put it, the former president's appearance on stage will be like “Hogan at WrestleMania.”
