Donald Trump saved the UFC from Dana White and combat sports and now they helped him return to the White House

donald asset I will come back soon White House after his victory in the presidential elections of States Joined and, in his celebratory speech, he shared the stage with a special ally: Dana Whitepresident of the CFU. This connection to White and the UFC is not new; Their relationship grew alongside the sport, and Trump became a key partner for mixed martial arts (MMA) in the field of sport, where other sectors such as NBA, NFL And MLB They are less favorable to him.

Before becoming a global MMA brand, the UFC was on the verge of extinction. In its early years, the organization faced serious difficulties as American politicians denounced the discipline as a “blood sport” and several states refused to host their events. The situation was critical. In the midst of this dark panorama, Donald Trump has established himself as a decisive ally.

In the early 2000s, Trump, then “just” a real estate mogul New York and fervent fan of combat sports, took a significant risk: he offered his casino Atlantic City as a venue for UFC events. Dana White, who assumed the presidency of the organization, did not forget the gesture. In 2018, White gratefully recalled in an interview: “No one took us seriously at the time except Donald Trump. I would never say anything negative about Donald Trump because he was there when everyone else wasn’t. »

Since then, mixed martial arts has become one of the most popular sports in the United States, and the relationship between White and Trump has been beneficial for both. That connection was reflected on the Tuesday of his election victory, when Trump brought White on stage and handed him the microphone after his speech. “No one deserves this more than him, and no one deserves this more than his family,” White said, referring to Trump. “He always moves forward. He doesn’t give up. He is the most resilient and hardworking man I have ever met in my life.”

Trump not only regularly attends UFC events, but he also has figures linked to that organization on his team. Steve Cheungspokesperson for Trump’s campaign and member of his task force during the 2016 and 2020 elections, was previously communications director for public affairs at the UFC. Incidentally, Cheung played a key role in the UFC’s policy of preventing critical journalists from accessing its live events.

It is true that Trump and White have almost opposite origins. The politician was born into a wealthy environment, while White – without a college education – grew up scarred by his father’s alcoholism and a messy family structure. He was a hotel waiter and nightclub bouncer before finding success.

What doesn’t really set them apart are the controversies they’ve been involved in that would have brought down anyone else. Not for them. White, for example, was filmed slapping his wife in a nightclub, and Trump was convicted in a federal case involving an affair with an adult entertainment star.

A nivel de audiencia, las bases de la UFC y Trump coinciden en varios aspectos demográficos. La UFC, según sus datos, cuenta con 42 millones de seguidores en Estados Unidos, de los cuales aproximadamente el 70% son hombres con una edad media de 35 años.

Por su parte, el perfil del votante promedio de Trump es predominantemente blanco no hispano, y un 65% se encuentra por encima de los 50 años. Aunque existen diferencias, ambas bases comparten similitudes en términos de identidad y valores.

Enamorado del ‘wrestling’ y del boxeo

La relación de Trump con los deportes de combate no se limita a la UFC; también tiene lazos históricos con la WWE, la principal empresa de lucha libre profesional. Fan del wrestling —conocido en España durante años como el pressing catch— desde su infancia, en esta campaña se ha rodeado de varios de sus grandes iconos para atraer al público.

Durante la Convención Nacional Republicana de este verano, la leyenda de la WWE Terry Bollea, que ha interpretado toda su vida el personaje de Hulk Hogan, mostró públicamente su apoyo a Trump con una camiseta roja de Trump 2024 y un grito que hacía alusión a su famosa frase: “¡Deja que la Trumpmanía se descontrole, hermano!”.

Además, Trump —que durante toda la campaña escapó de los medios tradicionales— llegó a pasar una hora en un podcast presentado por Mark Colloway, mejor conocido como The Undertaker, quien le bañó en elogios: “¿Sabes lo que has hecho? Has vuelto a hacer que la política sea divertida”, dijo el famoso luchador que aquí era llamado ‘El Enterrador’.

Trump es el único miembro del Salón de la Fama de la WWE que ha alcanzado la presidencia de Estados Unidos. Su relación con esta organización data de finales de la década de 1980, cuando organizó dos eventos de WrestleMania en su casino en Atlantic City, un movimiento que ayudó a consolidar el estatus de la WWE en el entretenimiento estadounidense.

In 2007, Trump and controversial former WWE owner, Vince McMahonthey starred in fiction “Battle of the Billionaires”an event which pitted fighters representing the two businessmen against each other. The stipulation of the fight was that the losing millionaire had to shave his head. FightMania 23where this show took place, had until then enjoyed unprecedented success in terms of pay-per-view sales.

On the political front, Trump even got his previous administration to intervene. Linda McMahonwife of Vince, who was manager of a small business. Currently, Linda runs the America First Policy Institutea group supporting Trump’s policies.

Donald Trump is also an unconditional fan of boxing, the combat sport par excellence. And he also played a “saving” role in his media breakthrough, by organizing major fights for personalities as important as Microphone Tyson. The legendary boxer has been a staunch Trump supporter for years. In 2016, Iron Mike He said in an interview that Trump “should be president of the United States”, publicly displaying his support for the tycoon’s political debut.

The relationship between the two dates back to the 1980s, when Trump also staged fights against Tyson at his Atlantic City casino, earning him large sums of money. In another 2022 interview, Tyson recalled with a laugh: “I always remember him as a good guy who paid me a lot of money.” Trump’s affinity for Tyson was not limited to the professional sphere; In 1992, when Tyson was convicted of rape, Trump publicly defended the boxer, saying the legal process had not been fair.

Against the big American leagues

In a context where the main sports leagues in the United States, such as the NBA, NFL and MLB, maintain a critical or neutral stance towards Trump, combat sports stand out as exceptions that openly support Trump. former president. They found in Trump an ally who understands their culture and who has influenced their growth.

This contrasts with its relations with the major American leagues, notably the NBA. His enmity towards these, more politically liberal, goes back a long way and reached its first critical point when the American football player Colin Kaepernickin August 2016, decided to kneel for the first time during the American anthem. In 2020, this spread and reached the NBA, after the murder of george floyd. Trump’s response was that he would change the channel every time he saw a player make this gesture.

Many American major league stars publicly acknowledge their animosity toward Trump, and who supported Kamala Harris during this campaign. This is the case of lebron Jacqueswho even told Trump during his previous term that “it was a great honor to go to the White House until you arrived.” On the other hand, many figures such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Billie Jean King, Megane Rapinoe, Michael Johnson either Chris Paul They joined different platforms supporting Harris and now regret her defeat.

Then there’s golf, a point of contention for Trump. A fan of his practice, he owns more than a dozen clubs that he purchased or built over the years, resulting in combined losses of $315.6 million over two decades. However, his relationship with PGA Tour The American circuit was broken in 2015 following controversial statements against the Mexican people. In recent times, he has joined forces with the growing Saudi LIV Tour, holding up to five of his tournaments on their courses, and this Tuesday, in addition to Dana White, he also brought the golfer to the stage this Wednesday. Bryon DeChambeauwho signed a four and a half year contract in 2022 in exchange for 125 million with LIV. Sports, always present – ​​for better or for worse – in the Trump movement.