Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Donald Trump became the first President of the United States to sit cageside at a live UFC event last night (Sat., Nov. 2, 2019) at UFC 244 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, when he showed up to witness the “BMF” title fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.
Rumors swirled earlier this week that Trump was going to pull some strings to make an appearance at UFC 244, but with the amount of security the President had to bring with him some fight fans wondered if he’d actually show. Surprisingly, he did, as UFC posted his face on the big screen just moments into the PPV broadcast following this legendary entrance:
Here is President Trump entering MSG for UFC 244. @jasonrubin91 pic.twitter.com/AVbbFHk6Av
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 3, 2019
ESPN reporters Ariel Helwani and Brett Okamoto offered two very different accounts of Trump’s arrival at UFC 244:
Trump just turned around to acknowledge the crowd and was met with noticeable cheers and very little boos.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 3, 2019
Random UFC 244 note, nearly the entire backstage tunnel area is shut down, apparently due to President Trump’s presence back there. I’m stuck outside the interview area. More importantly Firas Zahabi is stuck out here and can’t get to Kevin Lee, who is two fights away.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 3, 2019
There was also some commotion outside of MSG as people lined up to protest and support Trump’s attendance at the UFC event:
LATEST: We spoke to protestors and supporters of President Trump outside Madison Square Garden prior to tonight’s UFC match that he is attending. @PIX11News #MSG #MadisonSquareGarden #UFC244 pic.twitter.com/xAQxoYdujL
— Cristian Benavides (@cbenavidesTV) November 3, 2019
It was quite the night at UFC 244 with incredible finishes to boot. Adding Trump into the mix makes it just a little more memorable, whether you support him or not.
For complete UFC 244 results and coverage click here.