How the UFC became a home for Donald Trump

Back in 2017, Dana White announced his campaign and teased a new flagship policy. The UFC president had resided over the meteoric rise of mixed martial arts and now, he suggested, it was time to take over another swing state: boxing. White was inspired to move into a second sport after working on the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Seven years later, however, 'Zuffa Boxing' remains in the works. White has been busy, in fairness, cementing himself as a kingmaker in another realm. The 2024 election, which saw Donald Trump secure a return to the White House, was the latest proof that there are few political vehicles as powerful as the UFC. It's why, just days after defeating Kamala Harris, Trump headed back to Madison Square Garden for UFC 309. There is a reason why he was joined by allies and appointees including Robert Kennedy Jr, Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and speaker of the house Mike Johnson. The Octagon has become an home for Trump's new alliance and his new brand of right-wing politics. He headed there following his conviction in the New York 'hush money' trial and he returned after his crowning moment, too. White has become a key associate, commentator Joe Rogan offered Trump a huge pre-election platform, the fighters love him and the fans do, too. 'As the UFC has grown, there's been a lot of people that have jumped on the bandwagon and became fans,' White said this week. 'Trump was there from the beginning.' This unlikely union dates back to the early 2000s, when the UFC was in peril. 'Arenas around the world refused to host our events. Nobody took us seriously — except for Donald Trump,' White said in 2016. The president-elect agreed to put on UFC shows at his Atlantic City casino. 'Donald was the first guy that recognized the potential that we saw in the UFC and encouraged us to build our business… Trump is a fighter and I know he will fight for this country,' White said. 'I will always be so grateful to him for standing with us in those early days.' Now the UFC is a billion-dollar behemoth that has broken into the sporting and cultural mainstream. Now it's White providing Trump with sanctuary. In the weeks since election day, athletes from across sports have tipped their hat to the president-elect. Nick Bosa, Calvin Ridley and Brock Bowers are among the NFL players to imitate his dance moves on the field. USMNT star Christian Pulisic did it, too. But only Jon Jones got to dance in front of Trump. The UFC heavyweight champion handed over his belt to the 78-year-old billionaire and gave him a shout-out from behind the mic. Fans lapped it up. So, no doubt, did White, Rogan and the fighters who have helped propel him back to the presidency. Trump is said to be a huge fight fan. 'Every time he's flying on his plane, or he's home on a Saturday, he's watching UFC fights or boxing,' White said recently. It's easy to see why their worlds collide. The glitz, the money, the masculinity, the aggression, the vulgar language and the general despair at an increasingly sanitized society. For Trump, the UFC has become a safe haven in polarized nation. Arguably nowhere else, outside of his own rallies, is he a guaranteed as warm a welcome as cageside. They love in him the locker room - Frankie Edgar, Henry Cejudo, Justin Gaethje, Beneil Dariush and Colby Covington are among the fighters who have endorsed Trump. Sean Strickland is another vocal supporter. At MSG last week, meanwhile, Jones was not alone. Bo Nickal and Michael Chandler engaged with the president-elect at UFC 309. After the show, White was asked why so many fighters have found their political home in the 78-year-old Republican. 'Everybody is tired of the bulls***, we’re all tired,' he said. 'We all just want to live our lives and run our businesses and raise our families and do all that s*** and hopefully all this stuff will simmer down in the next four years.' Shortly before the election, Gaethje, Dariush and Cejudo campaigned for Trump in the swing state of Michigan. Jorge Masvidal joined his push for re-election in 2020 and UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich was seen at the Capitol riot on January 6. Trump is hugely popular in the stands, too. A study last year found that no one watched UFC more than young people aged 25 to 35, with 90 percent of viewers men. In the recent election, sixty percent of white men voted for Trump in the key states, while he beat Harris among men aged 18-29 (49 vs. 47 percent) and 30-44 (53 vs. 43 percent). Men flock to UFC, to Trump... and to Rogan. The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast on Spotify in the United States. It's claimed 80 percent of Rogan's listeners are male, with a majority between 18 and 34. Trump, vice president-elect JD Vance and Musk all appeared on his show ahead of election day. On YouTube alone, the three episodes have amassed a combined 86million views. Together, they form around nine hours of - largely unfiltered - campaign material. 'His base is Trump’s base,' Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s ally once said about White. 'And Trump’s base is his base.' Harris did not join the show; Rogan officially endorsed her opponent. Rogan's popularity has been elevated by his work as a color commentator on the UFC. But the real power and voice behind the organization is White. He has become on of the most influential figures in sports - and one of Trump's most important allies. The UFC president visited Trump at the White House in 2018 alongside Covington. Steven Cheung, picked to be the White House communications director in Trump's second term, formerly worked for the UFC. Few sporting executives have as free a reign as his former boss. White is not constrained by governing bodies or even competitors. His primary job is to keep his fans happy. And he knows how to play to the crowd. Over recent years White has donated more than $1m to Trump's cause. He has also used his platform to speak out against Joe Biden and Harris - and to promote Trump. To mark the UFC's 25th anniversary in 2018, he released a documentary entitled 'Combatant in Chief' detailing 'Trump's history in combat sports'. Before the main card at UFC 309, meanwhile, a tribute video to the president-elect played on the big screens at MSG. White spoke at the Republican National Conventions in 2016. He introduced Trump at the 2024 RNC and he took the mic again at Trump's election victory party. The bosses he has to answer to? Endeavor, the billion-dollar parent company of the UFC. Endeavor also owns the WWE, whose former CEO, Linda McMahon, is Trump's pick for education secretary. A few days before America went to the polls, Trump hosted a rally at The Garden. It was billed as a triumphant return to his roots. A couple of weeks later, he was at MSG once more. Coming home once more. 'I want nothing to do with politics,' White insisted this week. 'I'm never f***ing doing this again... I want nothing to do with this s***. It's gross. It's disgusting.' But it might be too late for that.