Donald Trump has never been a stranger to the world of professional sports — and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is no exception.
For years, Trump has been throwing out first pitches and sitting courtside at Knicks games. Known for his golf game, he’s even something of an athlete himself. But over the past few years, the rise of the competitive mixed martial arts league UFC has garnered massive public interest. The involvement of cultural juggernauts such as Dana White and Joe Rogan has furthered the sport’s national growth.
President Trump, ever the trailblazer, couldn’t stay away. During his first administration, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC fight. Over the weekend, he was at the Octagon again, sitting alongside Cabinet members such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. Trump embraced Rogan and sat beside him, and after Dominick Reyes won the fight, he made his way over to the president to shake his hand. Get a load of the energy in the room:
Although boxing has long reigned supreme, the UFC is on track to potentially overthrow its status as the most popular combat sport. On average, each fight has a viewership of more than 500,000 with massive pay-per-view sales that have made it extremely profitable. It is a bare-bones sport, with strength, perseverance, and dedication turning wannabe fighters from humble beginnings into globally recognized superstars.
UFC is the polar opposite of the “everybody’s a winner” ethos that prizes participation trophies. Though it’s ferocious and poses real risks to the health of those involved, the hope of success lures athletes to take their chances. It is a true reflection of the fighting American spirit.
Trump’s brand has always been about victory. Since the start of his political career, he has beaten all odds to achieve the status of commander-in-chief. After weathering the Russia-collusion hoax, two impeachments, and unprecedented lawfare, Trump’s tenacity brought him back to the Oval Office in 2025. He was arrested and took a great mugshot. When he was shot in the head, he stood up and yelled, “Fight, fight, fight!” making clear that he would not back down.
Between 2020 and 2024, the United States was caught in a Democrat malaise. The party of tolerance had its banner waved by an elderly cadre of limousine liberals. Joe Biden was the pitiful personification of this weariness. His deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan left a mark on the country’s international reputation. When he wasn’t leaving military equipment in the hands of foreign terrorists, he was tripping up the stairs and sleeping on East Coast beaches. The Biden era was distinctly fragile yet oppressive.
Biden never attended a UFC match. If he had, he might have fallen asleep and been startled awake by its volume and unfamiliarity. The thought of Biden at a UFC match is like the thought of Nancy Pelosi skydiving: It just doesn’t make sense. In contrast, Trump’s vitality not only meshes with loud, energetic UFC matches, but he turns things up a notch. Upon his entrance, fans inside the arenas cheer, wave, and chant his name. Even the toughest MMA champs grin as he enters the building. Fighters recognize other fighters.
The American people were oppressed and demoralized for four long years under Biden. Trump’s sweeping election was a wake-up call for a culture in decline. As Trump makes appearances at sporting events, he shows off his connection to America’s strongest and toughest. Finally, Americans have a president on the cutting edge, one who holds his ground against foreign countries and makes good on his promises to Americans. He negotiates tariffs, clamps down on the border, and even brings back high-pressure shower heads.
Americans elected Trump because, in games of political chicken at home and abroad, he rarely blinks first. Unlike Biden, this leadership inspires courage and fortitude. Younger generations are trending conservative — perhaps, in part, due to Trump’s leadership style, which doesn’t seek to extinguish the American spirit but rather fans its flames.
Trump’s UFC appearance is more than a photo op. It’s a declaration that American strength is in style.
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