One thing about Donald Trump that Old Joe could not match, aside from his stamina, was the former president had loyal friends who stood by his side no matter what; that list includes UFC CEO Dana White, who is set to introduce him at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on Thursday that the UFC mogul will appear at the RNC for the third time and will serve as co-main event for one of the biggest events in US politics.
White will speak on Thursday and introduce Trump before he receives the official GOP nomination.
Dana previously stumped for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
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The UFC leader praised the former president for his support of mixed-martial-arts and his efforts to address COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which impacted live sports across the nation in 2020 and 2021.
Trump and White have been seen frequently on several UFC fight nights, where audiences and fighters expressed appreciation to the former president.
In an interview with Fox News last June, White described Trump as a patriot who cares about his country.
“He loves America and he cares about this country,” the UFC CEO said.
“Period. End of story. If he wasn’t that type of guy, I would never even associate myself with him.”
White and Trump’s friendship proved to be unbreakable, and both were seen regularly, with the New York Times calling it “cage-match politics.”
One recent example was when Trump was met with thunderous applause during UFC 302 in Newark last June.
The former president shook hands with the audience, including announcers Joe Rogan and Jon Anik, before proceeding to his seat to watch the match-up between Islam Makchachev and Dustin Poirier.
During his 2016 speech at the RNC, White shared how Trump supported him and his partners in 2001.
“It was basically considered a blood sport,” White said.
“State athletic commissions didn’t support us, and areas around the world refused to host our events. Nobody took us seriously, nobody. Except Donald Trump.”
“Donald was the first guy that recognized the potential that we saw in the UFC and encouraged us to build our business. He hosted our first two events at his venue, he dealt with us personally, he got in the trenches with us and made a deal that worked for everyone,” White recalled.
In an appearance on “This Past Weekend with Theo Von,” the UFC leader shared a story where one UFC sponsor advised him to distance himself from Trump, which he answered with “F*** off!”
