The President has long been a UFC fan and sports enthusiast, frequently attending battles and maintaining a lasting friendship with UFC CEO Dana White.
President Donald Trump met standing ovations and cheers when he entered Miami’s Casey Center for a UFC match on April 12th.
On Saturday evening, while walking to his cageside seat, Trump shook hands with supporters and waving his red “make America great” hat on several trademarks. Trump said it was a “great honor” to receive such a response from the crowd, but after attending the event for a few hours, he attended the Palm Beach home before returning north.
“We say we do a good job. If we don’t do a good job, we’ll get the opposite,” he told Air Force reporters.
Trump has long been a UFC fan and sports enthusiast, frequently attending big fights and maintaining a lasting friendship with UFC president and CEO Dana White.
The president entered Miami Arena with White on his side. Trump has accepted podcast host Joe Rogan, a former UFC commentator and analyst. Logan and White House adviser Elon Musk were sitting by the president during the event.
Other members of the administration present include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kash Patel, FBI Director, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, director of National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard.
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Democrats and some Republicans have been critical of Trump’s policies, particularly some of the recent tariff announcements, but these concerns were not found at the UFC event on Saturday.
“Each of them appeared last and they were amazing,” Trump said. “I mean, they’re all warriors, modern warriors.”
Fighter Dominique Reyes won the match and after recognising the president, he walked to the octagon side. He took a photo with Trump after the postwar interview.
Australia’s Alexander Volkanovsky won his 10th consecutive championship fight, beating Brazil’s Diego Lopez early Sunday morning, thanks to an unanimous decision in the featherweight match.
President Donald Trump will be attending the Mixed Martial Arts Battle at UFC 314 in Miami on April 12, 2025. Lynne Sladky/AP Photo
Saturday was the president’s first UFC event since he began his second term earlier this year. It happened a few weeks after Trump attended the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf Tournament at his Miami Golf Club.
In February, Trump attended the Daytona 500 and the Super Bowl. He also sat at the cageside at the UFC Championship Fight in New York in November shortly after winning the election. Some have seen the president’s close ties with the UFC as helping him in the young man’s voting block.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
