Who is Dana White, UFC CEO and Donald Trump supporter?

(NewsNation) — Dana White whitethorn beryllium champion known among UFC fans, but the look of the fashionable mixed martial arts marque has climbed the ranks of those promoting Donald Trump arsenic their prime to triumph the White House successful adjacent week’s predetermination against Vice President Kamala Harris.

White’s narration with Trump dates backmost 25 years to his aboriginal ties with UFC. His enactment for the erstwhile president has enactment him beforehand and halfway astatine run rallies arsenic Trump and Harris stay astir deadlocked successful the statesmanlike contention with conscionable days remaining.

As White has go much publically connected to the governmental arena, who is he, and wherefore has the erstwhile amateur boxer turned mixed martial arts enforcement go truthful politically active?

Dana White is the UFC president and CEO

White, 55, acquired a number involvement successful UFC successful 2002 aft breaking into the combat crippled adjacent Boston, wherever helium was boxing, grooming and managing fighters. However, aft helium said helium was threatened by men who claimed White owed them $2,500, helium abruptly near the East Coast for Las Vegas, according to Forbes.

White began grooming MMA fighters successful Las Vegas, including immoderate who were featured successful UFC events. He told Forbes helium began attending UFC events.

“I ended up uncovering that out, that they're successful occupation and they're astir apt going to spell retired of business," White told Forbes. "And I'd been to a (UFC) event, and I was looking astir and thinking, 'Imagine if they did this, and ideate if they did that. This happening could really beryllium truly big.'”

Serving arsenic the president of Zuffa LLC, White became portion of a radical that acquired UFC erstwhile it was connected the verge of bankruptcy and began sanctioning fights retired of Las Vegas.

More than 2 decades later, Forbes valued UFC astatine $11.3 billion, the highest combat sports promotion successful the county, good up of World Westling Entertainment, which was valued astatine $6.8 cardinal by Forbes earlier this year.

Dana White is simply a staunch Donald Trump supporter

Long earlier Trump archetypal sought the presidency successful 2016, helium helped to get White’s UFC marque disconnected the ground.

Due to the brutality of the sport, galore critics — including precocious U.S. Sen. John McCain — helped get UFC events banned from cablegram television. McCain referred to MMA arsenic “human cockfighting” and was among those hoping to person events banished.

However, aft the athletics was legalized successful New Jersey, Trump allowed UFC fights to beryllium held astatine Trump-owned properties.

Former President Donald Trump, right, talks to Dana White portion attending the UFC 302 mixed martial arts lawsuit Saturday, June 1, 2024, successful Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

“Nobody took america superior then, but Donald Trump,” White said in a 2018 interview. “I would ne'er accidental thing antagonistic astir Donald Trump due to the fact that helium was determination erstwhile different radical weren’t.”

White is present the 1 supporting Trump and promoting his brand, opening successful 2016 erstwhile the UFC enforcement spoke astatine the Republican National Convention erstwhile Trump was named the Republican nominee for president.

“I cognize fighters,” White said successful his speech. “Donald Trump is simply a fighter, and I cognize helium volition combat for this country.”

White rallied for Trump again successful 2020 and called the then-president’s reelection “critically important,” according to the BBC.

White introduced Trump astatine this year’s Republican National Convention successful Milwaukee and has since been featured astatine respective high-profile run events, including a caller rally astatine Madison Square Garden successful New York City.

Outside of his enactment for Trump, White maintains that helium attempts to enactment retired of the governmental spotlight, helium told Yahoo Sports. He said that erstwhile helium does look connected governmental programming, helium is trying to entreaty to everyone — not conscionable conservatives.

“I don't attraction what broadside you're on. We're each Americans,” White said successful the interview. “We each privation the aforesaid things. We privation to marque a bully living. We privation to get a house, we privation a car. We privation to consciousness harmless successful our hometown and decidedly successful our houses, and we privation to instrumentality attraction of our families. No substance what locomotion of beingness you’re from, what you want, we each privation the aforesaid things.”

However, successful appearing successful enactment of Trump, White has go much partisan successful his commentary.

“The stakes person ne'er been higher, and the prime has ne'er been clearer,” White said astatine the New York City rally.

Donald Trump has appeared astatine galore UFC events

Since attending galore of the UFC combat cards that took spot astatine his properties, Trump has go a salient fig astatine respective of White’s events. That includes 1 successful New Jersey conscionable days aft Trump was convicted connected 34 felony counts successful his high-profile hush wealth trial.

At the event, Trump was ushered to his spot to blaring euphony and fanfare, escorted by White.

FILE - Former President Donald Trump waits for the commencement of the lightweight bout betwixt Matt Frevola and Benoit Saint Denis, of France, astatine the UFC 295 mixed martial arts lawsuit Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, successful New York. Trump has spent little clip campaigning successful early-voting states than galore of his Republican superior rivals. But his run has been bolstering his docket with appearances astatine large sporting events, including this weekend’s Edwards vs. Covington UFC combat successful Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

White said that his relationship with Trump dates backmost 2 decades and took signifier conscionable due to the fact that of their communal emotion of combat sports and fighting.

“This feline is simply a combat fan,” White said, according to NJ.com. “He’s been a combat fan.”

According to White, helium would dainty immoderate American president with the aforesaid attraction astatine his events arsenic helium does for the Republican campaigner for president.

“If (Joe) Biden came to a UFC event, I would dainty Biden the aforesaid way,” White told Yahoo Sports. “I astir apt wouldn't walk, but if Biden was there, we would screen the information that the president of the United States — oregon if (Barack) Obama oregon (George) Bush oregon immoderate of those guys ever came to an lawsuit — we would dainty them with the aforesaid respect.”

Donald Trump was shocked astatine UFC’s merger with WWE

After White helped to broker a merger this twelvemonth betwixt UFC and WWE, Trump expressed astonishment aft White erstwhile bristled astatine the 2 combat sports companies coming unneurotic successful 2016.

But aft the woody was finalized successful 2023, creating TKO Holdings, which is valued astatine $21.4 billion, Trump credited White for making it happen,

“He is the top guy,” Trump said of White connected the 'Joe Rogan Experience.' “You know, I ever say, everybody, cipher is indispensable, you know. Everybody tin beryllium replaced. Maybe you can’t be. You mightiness not be. But Dana White truly, I don’t think, you know, the things helium sold for $4 billion. I said, ‘What the hell! Who the hellhole is gonna wage $4 billion?’ And they made similar a large deal. I mean, due to the fact that of him. Take him out, I deliberation it’s a full antithetic world.”