“Trump and Putin…give them credit” – Dana White comes clean about his role in releasing imprisoned ballerina from Russia

UFC CEO Dana White talks about collaborating with Donald Trump to green-light a prison swap deal with Russia.

“Trump and Putin…give them credit” – Dana White comes clean about his role in releasing imprisoned ballerina from Russia

Dana White talks about the recent prison swap deal with Russia and his involvement in it (via Imago/X)

Having a President as a friend sounds cool, but what’s the point if one cannot call him when really need? For UFC CEO Dana White, however, calling the President of the United States is not a difficult or complicated task. Donald Trump not only answered White’s call but also took action, creating major headlines across the entire media.

White recently enjoyed a successful UFC night in Kansas City, where fans witnessed Ian Garry decisively outclass Carlos Prates impressively. After the exciting main event concluded, White held a press conference where reporters asked about the US-Russia prisoner swap. White then delivered a detailed answer, explaining everything that secretly happened behind the important scenes during negotiations.

I got a call from a friend of mine…he told me the story and then asked me if I would go to the President. I guess they had been working for like a year with the old administration, trying to get her released and couldn’t get it done. So, I called him (Donald Trump) and said ‘Yeah, let me see what I can do.’ In literally three weeks, he had her out. President Trump and Putin, give them both credit for getting her out. 

Dana White via UFC Kansas City post-fight presser 

The individual involved in the situation was Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina who was freed after being detained in Russia. She was accused of treason as she had contributed approximately $51 to a U.S. charity supporting Ukraine in the war. The United States secured her release through a prisoner swap, exchanging her for Russian-German citizen Arthur Petrov, detained earlier.

Petrov had been arrested for allegedly exporting sensitive American microelectronics to Russia, posing national security risks amid ongoing international tensions. The swap was facilitated in Abu Dhabi, involving both CIA Director and Russian intelligence officials coordinating negotiations. This whole thing was deemed as a huge success, and Dana White was one of the main reason behind it. 

Donald Trump thanks friend Dana White for the successful prison swap

In 2024 US elections, Dana White was one of the biggest celebrity endorsers of Donald Trump. He has been a long supporter, and his speeches at the Republican National Convention have often gone viral. In various interviews, he praised Trump’s loyalty, emphasizing their long friendship and Trump’s early support for UFC events. 

Dana White relationship with Donald Trump
Dana White relationship with Donald Trump (via CNN)

White connected the POTUS to the working-class sports fans, framing him as a fighter who understands ordinary American struggles. This endorsement helped legitimize Trump among skeptical voters, especially blue-collar audiences familiar with UFC’s growth and fighting spirit. In a recent interview, Trump talked in detail about how White asked him to make the prison swap deal with Russia. 

I appreciate the ballerina who was released. That was at the request of a very good friend of all of ours, actually. Dana White called me and he said it’s the friend or the relationship of one of the fighters for UFC or one of the fighters, and Dana is an incredible guy. We spoke to President Putin about it and they made a deal. They released the young ballerina and she is now out, and that was good.

Donald Trump via a press conference 

Incidents such as this explain how much influence White has in American politics. However, despite all that, he personally has no intentions to be a member of Trump’s administration. He has repeatedly stated he has zero interest in running for political office or engaging directly in politics.

He prefers focusing entirely on growing the UFC brand, maintaining his role as CEO and continuing to build fight sports. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how much indirectly White has involved himself in politics throughout Trump’s reign.

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