To understand how we got here, it’s important to understand how the UFC came to be. White, along with casino and resort executive brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, bought the nearly bankrupt fight promotion for only $2 million in January 2001. At the time, mixed martial arts was so controversial that then-Sen. John McCain famously called it “human cockfighting” and threatened to put it out of business.
President Donald Trump and UFC President and CEO Dana White in Miami, last year. Jeff Bottari / Zuffa LLC
Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, most states did not even regulate the sport. As a result, few venues were available for White to host fight cards. He turned to a casino owner named Donald Trump.
Less than two months after White acquired the UFC, it hosted its first two events at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. And thus was born the decadeslong friendship between a sports tycoon and the man who would become U.S. president.
When White needed help the most, Trump stepped in. As Trump began his career in politics, the favor was returned, and then some.