“President of Ecuador, Spain, Putin, Trump…” Dana White reveals shocking list of world leaders who have sent support to UFC

On the Lex Fridman Podcast, UFC CEO Dana White weighed in on how the human psychy is wired to love combat sports, and famous personalities that tend to do so.

“President of Ecuador, Spain, Putin, Trump…” Dana White reveals shocking list of world leaders who have sent support to UFC

Dana White details renowned sociopolitical entities loving combat sports (Source: Instagram)

What do the presidents of Ecuador and Spain, Vladimir Putin, and former POTUS Donald Trump have uncharacteristically in common? According to Dana White – the love for combat sports. As a combat sports enthusiast, there are just so many topics to ask White. Lex Fridman, however, asked him about the fundamental aspect of human nature linked to fighting.

White divulged that he subsequently fell in love with fighting because of Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard‘s affair. During the segment, he also showcased his love for combat classics like Vision Quest or the Rocky franchise. At 54, Dana White is a proper warmonger who never dreams of retiring from the helm due to such inspirations.

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Concurrently, here’s what he said to the host about the fundamental love for fighting:

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Fighting is in our DNA. It’s a part of who we are...I mean, we were just in Mexico, f*cking fight broke out in the good seats...security never fucking came. They just let these guys fight until they gassed out...This last Miami event, the president of Ecuador and the president of Spain, both posted about the fights. Khabib beat Conor - Putin was on FaceTime before he even made it to the locker room...Trump, sitting president, ex-president, watching all the fights, calling, wants to talk about the fights.
Dana White on the Lex Fridman Podcast Episode #421

White also nudged the host about Valentina Shevchenko‘s tradition of going home after a bout and doing a sitdown with the President. Similarly, former 1st RPIMa (French special forces) veteran Benoit Saint-Denis extended an invitation to French President, Emmanuel Macron to UFC 299. The Kaseya Center event In Miami also drew the attention of the Spanish and Ecuadorian presidents

Additionally, Judoka Vladimir Putin’s combat prowess is quite famed. Alongside, Republican Nominee Donald Trump also often casts himself as a brawler and fight fan. He has made numerous appearances – at UFC 244, UFC 287, UFC 290, UFC 295, UFC 296, UFC 299, and so on. hence, White postulates that, with such big names involved, love for combat sports is just within the human DNA.

A short but comprehensive history of Donald Trump’s relationship with UFC

During his recent appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast Episode #421, Dana White mentioned that many renowned entities are drawn to combat. An avid MMA enthusiast would already know that this holds for Ex-President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump has quite a fondness for Dana White and Co.
Donald Trump has quite a fondness for Dana White and Co. (Source: Twitter/mirror.co.uk)

Impeached twice, the Mar-a-Lago club resident and the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) have launched Truth Social, a social media platform. He often douses the principles of it, along with MAGA supporters like Colby Covington.

He also credited Cuban descent fighter Jorge Masvidal’s friendship, Covington’s rival, with his success with Latino voters in 2020. His presence at UFC 299 PPV instigated a  ‘F**k Joe Biden‘ and ‘USA’ chant aimed at the opposition. This was in line with South Carolina’s annual Palmetto Bowl, with the crowd chanting “We want Trump!” He has also attended back-to-back PPV events near the tail-end of 2023.

He has maintained quite a high-spirited acquaintance with Covington. Moreover, on comedian Theo Von’s podcast, CEO Dana White once divulged that sponsors had cautioned him to recant social media posts on Trump and his administration. However, White had vigorously sneered at the major UFC sponsor.

Trump’s cage-side presence at UFC 290 led to several fighters jumping the bounds of the octagon and tributing their victories to him. He also has close associations with Ari Emanuel, whose agency ‘Endeavor‘ owned UFC and WWE. Before it came under TKO Holdings.

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