Donald Trump’s friendship with Dana White may have its roots back in 2001 when the then real estate magnate hosted the first two events of the newly Zuffa acquired Ultimate Fighting Championships at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. But, however close that relationship may have been, there’s no denying that it became much more public during Trump’s rise to victory during the 2016 presidential election and the four years that followed.
Trump was cageside for UFC 244, the promotion’s 500th event, back in 2019—where Jorge Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz for the newly minted ‘BMF’ belt.