Dana White insists he would roll out the red carpet for Joe Biden or any former U.S. president the same way he routinely does for GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Anytime the UFC runs an event within driving distance of New York City, you can bet Trump will be in attendance. Not only does the former POTUS get a premium Octagon-side seat, but he also gets a special entrance just before the main card complete with his own theme song and an entourage that often includes outspoken conservative Kid Rock and political commentator Tucker Carlson.
Despite all of that, the UFC CEO insists that neither the promotion nor himself is motivated by politics.
“You see how the crowd reacts to [Donald Trump attending fights]? Off the charts,” White told Ben Fowlkes of Yahoo! Sports. “If [Joe] Biden came to a UFC event, I would treat Biden the same way! If Biden was there, we would cover the fact that the President of the United States… or if [Barack] Obama, [George] Bush, any of those guys ever came to an event, we would treat them with the same respect. If a former or standing president of the United States shows up to your event, you show them the respect…
“It’s just like the thing that happened with Trump with the assassination attempt. If someone attempted to assassinate Biden or any former president of the United States, I would be f*cking disgusted by it. Just like I was with the attempt on Trump’s life. I’m an American, and whoever is the President of the United States, is my president.
“Biden’s granddaughter was [at UFC 295], I went to try to meet her.. but when Trump was coming, she left, which sucks. I would’ve liked to have met her. I don’t judge people by their politics, and I don’t play any of those b*****t games that people play with politics” (h/t BJPenn.com).
Dana White and Donald Trump’s Friendship goes back decades
Dana White’s relationship with Donald Trump goes back to the early 2000s when the UFC was struggling to find venues willing to host its events. ’45’ was one of the few willing to open its doors and give the promotion a place to operate during its formative years.
In July, White spoke on behalf of Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention, just as he did ahead of the 2016 election.
White is expected to be in attendance this Saturday when the UFC returns to RAC Arena in Perth, Australia for a loaded pay-per-view event. In the main event of the evening, two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya returns from a year-long sabbatical determined to claim the 185-pound crown for a history-making third time.
Standing in his way will be Dricus Du Plessis, who currently sits atop the divisional throne.
