Donald Trump was elected the 47th President of the United States in a surprising landslide on Monday. No single group or organization (except, of course, the Republican Party and Trump’s PACs) was perhaps more influential in getting him elected than the UFC and its personnel. After all, the UFC is especially popular among the young male demographic, seen as the President-elect’s most ardent support base.

UFC CEO Dana White‘s friendship with Trump dates back over twenty years when the then-businessman hosted two UFC events at his now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal casino. White is one of the most outspoken supporters of Trump because the businessman-politician helped save the UFC at a very critical point of time in 2001. This time around, even Joe Rogan, with his massive podcast, contributed to the 45th President’s victory. Many stars in the UFC are also vocal supporters of the MAGA leader. In this article, we take a closer look at the UFC’s support for the President-elect.

A heartfelt welcome by UFC fans for Trump in all events!

Despite his extremely busy schedule amidst his 2024 Presidential campaign, Donald Trump found the time to attend three UFC events in the past twelve months. Each time Donald Trump attended a UFC event this year, he was greeted by huge cheers from roaring fans.

Trump attended UFC 296 to watch vocal MAGA supporter, Colby Covington fight Leon Edwards for the welterweight title last year. The 45th and 47th President was met with huge applause and a standing ovation when he entered the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City

But it wasn’t just the UFC 296 crowd that adored the former President. Adoring fans greeted Trump similarly at the UFC 299 and UFC 302 cards earlier this year.

When all of the UFC stood up for Trump after the assassination attempt

The turning point in the election cycle was, perhaps, the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July. It led to an unprecedented galvanization of support for the President-elect, at a time when the tides were favoring the then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

In the wake of the assassination attempt, UFC CEO Dana White posted Trump’s famous defiant fist-in-the-air picture right after the shooting, highlighting its encapsulation of the former President’s fighter mentality. “This image perfectly reflects EXACTLY the man I know Donald Trump to be. He is the toughest, most resilient, AMERICAN BAD A** on this planet.”, White wrote on Instagram.

Joe Rogan, too, had very similar sentiments on Trump after the attempt on his life. The UFC commentator called Trump’s defiance one of the ‘most American things he had ever seen’ in a post profusely praising the former President.

Even the UFC’s biggest-ever star, Conor McGregor, came out swinging in support of Trump after the assassination attempt. “A 78-year-old multiple billionaire – he should be on a yacht, on the med, touring golf courses. But he is not. He is in Pennsylvania spitting out bullets! Running for the love of his country!”, ‘The Notorious’ wrote.

McGregor’s then-slated opponent Michael Chandler completely agreed with the Irishman and sent out multiple messages supporting the ‘The Apprentice’ star. Gilbert Burns was also among the numerous UFC stars who praised Trump after the shooting. ‘Durinho’ thanked God that the President-elect was okay and called him a “Real fighter!”. 

Many UFC stars supported Trump for the 2024 Elections

Unsurprisingly, several UFC stars lent their support to Donald Trump in the 2024 Presidential race. Long-time supporters Dana White, Colby Covington, and Jorge Masvidal were, of course, all in on the former President. Even Joe Rogan, unlike most previous election cycles, came out publicly to endorse Trump on the eve of the election.

In addition, fighters like Kamaru Usman, Aljamain Sterling, Henry Cejudo, and Justin Gaethje publicly endorsed Trump in his 2024 Presidential bid. Many other stars, like Sean Strickland, Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor, and Khamzat Chimaev too, threw their weight behind Trump in this election cycle. These are but a few names in the host of UFC fighters who were on the Trump train this election season. The collective weight of endorsements from numerous UFC fighters and personalities may have positively affected Trump’s campaign, leading to his landslide victory.

Did UFC help Donald Trump win the 2024 Elections?

Donald Trump’s popularity in the UFC world and the unwavering support he receives from that community was a running theme covered by mainstream outlets this election cycle. Some commentators further explored this connection and emphasized the promotion’s role in getting the New Yorker elected to the White House for a second term.

Sports Politika’s Karim Zidan, for example, claimed in a piece written after Trump’s 2024 election victory – “No other sports organization dedicated as much time or resources to Trump’s re-election as the UFC did.” The journalist observed that Joe Rogan and Dana White’s support, backed by tech mogul Elon Musk, secured the President-elect’s ‘bro vote’ (i.e. the young male demographic), which was crucial to Trump’s 2024 victory.

Zidan also did another excellent piece on how the UFC helped Trump shave off Muslim voters from the Democratic Party. MMA manager extraordinaire Ali Abdelaziz, Moroccan UFC star Abu Azaitar, and Rashad Evans went to Dearborn, Michigan, and other Muslim-majority areas of the United States, convincing a notable part of the community to vote red in the Presidential race.

Latin-American UFC stars like Henry Cejudo and Jorge Masvidal also called on the Latino community (another traditionally Democratic voter base) to vote for Trump, which seems to have worked well. After all, the polls show that the President-elect was able to make inroads into Latino men – another small, albeit significant factor for his resounding victory.

Do you think the UFC was instrumental in Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 elections? Let us know in the comments below.