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Inside Donald Trump's bromance with UFC president Dana White: How MMA promoter and ex-POTUS' friendship pays off with fans, sponsors and voters
Long before Donald Trump's Taj Mahal went bust in Atlantic City, the doomed $1 billion casino played host to a fledgling mixed-martial arts promotion known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship in November of 2000.
Officially, all 5,000 available seats were sold that night as former wrestler Randy Couture returned to MMA alongside legendary fighters like Kevin Randleman, Maurice Smith and Andrei Arlovski.
But what should have been an otherwise routine night for Trump and the UFC has since proven to be transformative for both. The MMA promotion gained a foothold in New Jersey, which remains one of the sport's biggest hubs, while Trump ultimately struck up a pivotal friendship with the man who became UFC president in 2001, Dana White.
'He loves America and he cares about this country,' White told Fox News this week while stumping for Trump. 'Period. End of story. If he wasn't that type of guy, I would never even associate myself with him.'
But White does associate himself with Trump, and has done so with increased regularity ahead of the 2024 election. Now DailyMail.com looks back at the pair, their unlikely friendship, and how the two are leveraging their union with fans, sponsors, and voters.
Donald Trump, UFC president Dana White, and Kid Rock pose for a photo during UFC 295
Jens Pulver celebrates after knocking out John Lewis in a bantamweight fight during the UFC 28 event at Trump Taj Mahal on November 11, 2000 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
The best example of what The New York Times calls 'cage-match politics' occurred on June 1 at UFC 302 in Newark, where Trump was met by thunderous applause as he strolled onto the Prudential Center floor alongside White.
After being feted for several minutes, Trump shook hands with dozens of onlookers, including announcers Joe Rogan and Jon Anik, before making his way to his seat to watch lightweight Islam Makhachev defeat Dustin Poirier in the main event.
The scene was a dramatic departure from a day earlier, when Trump was convicted of 34 counts of fraud in New York, and even that morning, when the furious former President predicted a 'breaking point' if gets sentenced to prison in July.
'I think it would be tough for the public to take,' Trump told Fox News. 'You know at a certain point there's a breaking point.'
But for all of the negativity and bluster surrounding his conviction, Trump simply hit the 'reset' button by attending UFC 302, and suddenly the proverbial cloud over his head vanished.
'His base is Trump's base,' Kellyanne Conway, Trump's former White House counselor, told The New York Times of White. 'And Trump's base is his base.'
Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka attend UFC 299 at Miami's Kaseya Center
Donald Trump with sons Eric and Donald Jr. during UFC 84 at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas
Jorge Masvidal arrives to speak at a 'Fighters Against Socialism' campaign rally for Trump
And it wasn't just UFC fans giving Trump the adulation he craves. UFC fighters, including Sean Strickland, used the platform to stump for the Queens native.
'President Trump, you're the man. It's a damn travesty what they're doing to you,' Strickland said during his in-ring interview. 'I'll be donating to you.'
Trump also has fans in UFC stars like Jorge Masvidal, Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov and Colby Covington, all of whom have become favorites among MAGA supporters.
Curiously, Covington echoed Trump's un-proven election fraud claims in December by accusing judges of conspiring against him in his unanimous-decision defeat to Leon Edwards.
'I thought I did enough but y'know, the judges have never favored me,' Covington told Fox News host and Trump fan Jesse Watters. 'They hate me because I support Trump and y'know everyone hates Trump in this building so y'know it is what it is. Life goes on.'
The comment has since sparked controversy among the Trump-faithful, including Masvidal, who ripped Covington for dragging the real estate mogul into the conversation.
'For [Covington] to go out there and involve Trump's name so much and then say people don't like because I roll with Trump and they robbed because of Trump, you're a f***ing piece of s***, and now you're blaming the greatest President this country has ever seen?' Masvidal told BroBible in February.
UFC President Dana White speaks at a campaign event for Donald Trump in Houston in 2020
Colby Covington told Fox News ' Jesse Watters (left) that his trump support cost him a victory
Trump shares a few words of encouragement with Colby Covington before the main event
Trump, however, has stayed above the fray.
Besides, his main tie to the UFC isn't any one fighter, but White, who credits Trump for helping to ensure the company's survival.
Back in the 1990s, the UFC was facing a much different PR battle as Senator and noted boxing fan John McCain labeled MMA 'human cockfighting.' Public opinion was so bad, that many states refused to sanction bouts.
However, things began to change in the early 2000s as Trump embraced the UFC brand with shows at his Taj Mahal. Furthermore, the MMA circuit gained sorely needed exposure on NBC when Trump included MMA legend Tito Ortiz on a season of Celebrity Apprentice.
'Nobody took us seriously, except Donald Trump,' White said, as quoted by the Times.
Their friendship somehow survived Trump's 2008 decision to launch his own MMA promotion, Affliction, which folded after only a pair of fight cards.
And when UFC inked its first major cable deal with Fox Sports in 2011, Trump sent a newspaper article to White with an encouraging message: 'Congratulations, Dana. I always knew you were gonna do it.'
Donald Trump salutes the crowd at UFC 299 in Miami, where he was showered with applause
In 2016, as Trump was making his first run for the White House, White spoke out in support of his friend at the Republican National Convention.
'I've been in the fight business my whole life. I know fighters,' White said during his speech. 'Ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump is a fighter, and I know he'll fight for this country.'
White doubled down on Trump at the 2020 convention, speaking via satellite during the COVID-19 pandemic as the President faced widespread criticism over his response to the outbreak.
'Let's talk about COVID, and let's be very honest about it,' said White, who donated $1 million to Trump's 2020 campaign. 'No one person and no one place could have anticipated the challenges that COVID would bring, but President Trump has faced all of these obstacles head on.'
Carlos Newton defeats Pat Miletich at a UFC event at Trump's Taj Mahal on May 4, 2001
The Hard Rock Casino, formerly Trump's Taj Mahal, stands on June 29, 2018 in Atlantic City
Fans wave a Trump 2024 flag during UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 1, 2024 in Newark
And White only further ingratiated himself to the MAGA world by bringing the UFC back before any other major US sports properties.
Best of all, he had the blessing of Trump, who recorded a video for UFC 249 - the first major sporting event of the post-COVID era.
'Let's play,' Trump said in the message. 'You do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do. But we need sports. We want our sports back.'
But for everything Trump has done for White, nothing may be as important as his effort to help beleaguered UFC sponsor, Bud Light.
Trump talks with Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran at a 2019 UFC event in New York
The brand faced an existential crisis after promoting its beer on Instagram with the help of a transgender spokeswoman. According to the Times, Bud Light sought to sponsor the UFC in an apparent attempt to appease millions of male beer drinkers across the country who were angry at the brand.
As it happened, White was met with immediate backlash from UFC fans after signing an endorsement deal with Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, that pays a reported $105 million annually.
To help smooth things over, White reached out to Trump, according to the Times, and the former POTUS has since offered a statement urging fans to give Bud Light a 'second chance.'
'Anheuser-Busch is not a woke company,' Trump wrote in February, adding that the company is 'a Great American Brand.'
Weeks later, White led Trump into UFC 299 in Miami, where well wishers included Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy, former ESPN anchor Sage Steele, daughter Ivanka, and thousands of raucous supporters.
Trump attends the UFC 296 event at T-Mobile Arena last December alongside White (right)
Interestingly, Trump has yet to sway Rogan, the comedian and UFC announcer who has one of the country's most popular podcasts.
As Rogan told his podcast audience last year, Trump's people have tried to book him on the show, only to be rebuffed by the host.
'I'm not a Trump supporter in any way, shape or form,' Rogan said. 'I've had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once. I've said no every time. I don't want to help him. I'm not interested in helping him.'
But even without Rogan's support, Trump has continued to praise White's brand, just as he did at a rally in Georgia prior to UFC 299.
'It's the closest thing I can see really reflective of the election process that we have in this country, the UFC fights,' Trump said at the rally in Rome. 'That may be a little tamer than the election business.
'Dana White has done a great job. I hope he doesn't run for office against me. He's done a fantastic job. It's an easier business than politics.'