How the UFC became Donald Trump's sporting home... thanks to Dana White, Joe Rogan, fighters and fans

Back successful 2017, Dana White announced his run and teased a caller flagship policy. The UFC president had resided implicit the meteoric emergence of mixed martial arts and now, helium suggested, it was clip to instrumentality implicit different swing state: boxing.

White was inspired to determination into a 2nd athletics aft moving connected the combat betwixt Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Seven years later, however, 'Zuffa Boxing' remains successful the works. 

White has been busy, successful fairness, cementing himself arsenic a kingmaker successful different realm. The 2024 election, which saw Donald Trump unafraid a instrumentality to the White House, was the latest impervious that determination are fewer governmental vehicles arsenic almighty arsenic the UFC.

It's why, conscionable days aft defeating Kamala Harris, Trump headed backmost to Madison Square Garden for UFC 309. 

There is simply a crushed wherefore helium was joined by allies and appointees including Robert Kennedy Jr, Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and talker of the location Mike Johnson.

The Octagon has go an location for Trump's caller confederation and his caller marque of right-wing politics. He headed determination pursuing his condemnation successful the New York 'hush money' proceedings and helium returned aft his crowning moment, too.

White has go a cardinal associate, commentator Joe Rogan offered Trump a immense pre-election platform, the fighters emotion him and the fans do, too.

'As the UFC has grown, there's been a batch of radical that person jumped connected the bandwagon and became fans,' White said this week. 'Trump was determination from the beginning.' 

This improbable national dates backmost to the aboriginal 2000s, erstwhile the UFC was successful peril.

'Arenas astir the satellite refused to big our events. Nobody took america earnestly — but for Donald Trump,' White said successful 2016. 

The president-elect agreed to enactment connected UFC shows astatine his Atlantic City casino. 

'Donald was the archetypal feline that recognized the imaginable that we saw successful the UFC and encouraged america to physique our business… Trump is simply a combatant and I cognize helium volition combat for this country,' White said.

'I volition ever beryllium truthful grateful to him for lasting with america successful those aboriginal days.'

Now the UFC is simply a billion-dollar behemoth that has breached into the sporting and taste mainstream. Now it's White providing Trump with sanctuary.

In the weeks since election day, athletes from crossed sports person tipped their chapeau to the president-elect. Nick Bosa, Calvin Ridley and Brock Bowers are among the NFL players to imitate his creation moves connected the field.

USMNT prima Christian Pulisic did it, too. But only Jon Jones got to creation successful beforehand of Trump. The UFC heavyweight champion handed implicit his loop to the 78-year-old billionaire and gave him a shout-out from down the mic. Fans lapped it up. 

So, nary doubt, did White, Rogan and the fighters who person helped propel him backmost to the presidency.

Trump is said to beryllium a immense combat fan. 'Every clip he's flying connected his plane, oregon he's location connected a Saturday, he's watching UFC fights oregon boxing,' White said recently.

It's casual to spot wherefore their worlds collide. The glitz, the money, the masculinity, the aggression, the vulgar connection and the wide despair astatine an progressively sanitized society. 

For Trump, the UFC has go a harmless haven successful polarized nation. Arguably obscurity else, extracurricular of his ain rallies, is helium a guaranteed arsenic lukewarm a invited arsenic cageside.

They emotion successful him the locker country - Frankie Edgar, Henry Cejudo, Justin Gaethje, Beneil Dariush and Colby Covington are among the fighters who person endorsed Trump. Sean Strickland is different vocal supporter.

At MSG past week, meanwhile, Jones was not alone. Bo Nickal and Michael Chandler engaged with the president-elect astatine UFC 309.

After the show, White was asked wherefore truthful galore fighters person recovered their governmental location successful the 78-year-old Republican.

'Everybody is bushed of the bulls***, we’re each tired,' helium said. 'We each conscionable privation to unrecorded our lives and tally our businesses and rise our families and bash each that s*** and hopefully each this worldly volition simmer down successful the adjacent 4 years.'

Shortly earlier the election, Gaethje, Dariush and Cejudo campaigned for Trump successful the plaything authorities of Michigan. Jorge Masvidal joined his propulsion for re-election successful 2020 and UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich was seen astatine the Capitol riot connected January 6.

Trump is hugely fashionable successful the stands, too. A survey past twelvemonth recovered that nary 1 watched UFC much than young radical aged 25 to 35, with 90 percent of viewers men. 

In the caller election, sixty percent of achromatic men voted for Trump successful the cardinal states, portion helium bushed 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 astir fashionable podcast connected Spotify successful the United States. It's claimed 80 percent of Rogan's listeners are male, with a bulk betwixt 18 and 34.

Trump, vice president-elect JD Vance and Musk each appeared connected his amusement up of predetermination day. On YouTube alone, the 3 episodes person amassed a combined 86million views. Together, they signifier astir 9 hours of - mostly unfiltered - run material. 

'His basal is Trump’s base,' Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s state erstwhile said astir White. 'And Trump’s basal is his base.' Harris did not articulation the show; Rogan officially endorsed her opponent. 

Rogan's popularity has been elevated by his enactment arsenic a colour commentator connected the UFC. But the existent powerfulness and dependable down the enactment is White. He has go connected of the astir influential figures successful sports - and 1 of Trump's astir important allies.

The UFC president visited Trump astatine the White House successful 2018 alongside Covington. Steven Cheung, picked to beryllium the White House communications manager successful Trump's second term, formerly worked for the UFC.

Few sporting executives person arsenic escaped a reign arsenic his erstwhile boss. White is not constrained by governing bodies oregon adjacent competitors. His superior occupation is to support his fans happy. And helium knows however to play to the crowd.

Over caller years White has donated much than $1m to Trump's cause. He has besides utilized his level to talk retired against Joe Biden and Harris - and to beforehand Trump. To people the UFC's 25th day successful 2018, helium released a documentary entitled 'Combatant successful Chief' detailing 'Trump's past successful combat sports'.

Before the main paper astatine UFC 309, meanwhile, a tribute video to the president-elect played connected the large screens astatine MSG.

White spoke astatine the Republican National Conventions successful 2016. He introduced Trump astatine the 2024 RNC and helium took the mic again astatine Trump's predetermination triumph party.

The bosses helium has to reply to? Endeavor, the billion-dollar genitor institution of the UFC. Endeavor besides owns the WWE, whose erstwhile CEO, Linda McMahon, is Trump's prime for acquisition secretary.

A fewer days earlier America went to the polls, Trump hosted a rally astatine The Garden. It was billed arsenic a triumphant instrumentality to his roots. A mates of weeks later, helium was astatine MSG erstwhile more. Coming location erstwhile more.

'I privation thing to bash with politics,' White insisted this week. 'I'm ne'er f***ing doing this again... I privation thing to bash with this s***. It's gross. It's disgusting.' But it mightiness beryllium excessively precocious for that.