‘Puppet’ Ilhan Omar Gets New Congressional Rival in NBA Pro Turned MMA Fighter: “Our Leaders Have Sold Us Out”

MMA fighters have repeatedly made their presence felt in the political circles with their outspoken and clear agendas. Many top fighters from UFC and other big promotions have put forth their political leanings and preferences. They represent those ideas without restraint and a few end up in politics as well.

In a similar fashion, a former NBA player turned MMA fighter Royce White has launched his U.S. congressional bid. The Minnesota-born former basketball player has recently announced that he will be challenging Ilhan Omar. He will run for Minnesota’s fifth congressional U.S. representative seat. 

The MMA fighter has released a two-minute campaign video. He said, “I’m running for Congress because our leaders have sold us out.”.

White also called out his opponent Omar, a “globalist” and “Puppet.” Moreover, the MMA fighter also took it to Twitter to announce this intriguing piece of news.

White captioned the Tweet, “Today I’m officially announcing that I will be running for Congress in MN-CD5 against Ilhan Omar. It’s time to clean house. God Bless America! The Fight Continues… #Godspeed.”

Notably, Royce White was a college basketball player who represented Iowa State in the 2011-12 season. Because of his impressive performances, Houston Rockets drafted White in 2012. He was the 16th selection and played only one season amid fallout with the organization.

After that, Royce White trained to become an MMA fighter and finally turned professional in 2021. However, he lost his debut against Daiqwon Buckley at the LFA 120.

MMA fighters turned politicians

There have been several instances of MMA fighters turning into politicians and even getting successful at it. MMA has given them a platform to fulfill their ambitions in other spheres of life, too.

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One of the best examples of a fighter-turned-politician is former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz. Ortiz began his career as a mixed-martial artist and was one of the early stars of the UFC. He held the UFC light heavyweight title from 2000 to 2003 and made five title defenses.

After trying his hand at professional wrestling, boxing, and acting, Ortiz ran for a city council seat in his hometown. He became a member of the Huntington Beach City Council for almost seven months from December 2020-June 2021. Ortiz also acted as the Mayor Pro Tem in the council for the same duration.

Another big name is Sharice Davids, who had a long MMA career before turning her focus to other things. She began her legal career in 2010 and created a path for her political career in the next few years. Finally, Davids ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 from Kansas’ 3rd congressional district.

She won the seat and is still the incumbent representative of the district since 2019.

There have been other fighters who turned into active politicians as well. Former UFC fighters Paddy Holohan and Genki Sudo became active politicians in their respective home countries.

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What do you think about former NBA player turned MMA fighter Royce White’s bid to join politics? Let us know in the comments section.