Cage fighters and Trump, an ultimate power combo
WASHINGTON — Rumours are swirling that a high-profile fan of mixed martial arts will turn out Saturday for a heavyweight battle at New York's famed Madison Square Garden: President-elect Donald Trump.
Even as the brash real estate tycoon is busy picking members of his incoming Cabinet, it's a real possibility the 78-year-old will rock up to the caged octagon for the Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.
When Trump held his election night victory party at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a notable non-relative joined his family on stage: UFC chief executive Dana White.
Trump "doesn't quit. He's the most resilient, hardworking man I've ever met", White told the ecstatic crowd.
It was "karma" that fueled the Republican's victory, added White, one of the sport's most outspoken Trump supporters.
Trump's nostalgic vision of alpha male masculinity -- endlessly played up at campaign rallies and which he discussed on podcasts popular with young men -- may have motivated this demographic to turn out at the ballot box.
As UFC head, White oversees a sprawling empire of contained violence -- a community to which Trump has maintained close ties for decades.
Even as he campaigned for the White House, Trump attended three UFC fights, earning massive ovations.
UFC fighters shower Trump with praise.
"To have the president possibly in attendance, it's all a huge honour," Jon Jones, who is defending his UFC heavyweight championship title on Saturday at UFC 309, told reporters this week.
"See you at MSG @realDonaldTrump," UFC fighter Bo Nickal, a Trump supporter, added on X.
Several other fighters expressed their enthusiasm for Trump, including Justin Gaethje, Jorge Masvidal and Michael Chiesa.
They're part of the rapidly growing industry of combat sports, which have emerged from outcast status to widespread acceptance.
"MMA [mixed martial arts] is a matter of national pride and Trump connects with many fighters," Lucas Dos Santos, the newly crowned Maryland Muay Thai amateur cruiserweight champion, told AFP.
When Dos Santos attended UFC events where Trump showed up, "people were screaming like it was Julius Caesar entering the Colosseum".
'We want a hero'
It is a dramatic distinction from the polished A-list celebrities like Taylor Swift and Beyonce who backed Trump's opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris.
Trump did earn an 11th-hour endorsement from someone with one foot in the fight world and another in celebrity stardom: Top podcaster Joe Rogan.
The former UFC commentator interviewed Trump for three hours shortly before Election Day, providing a platform for the candidate to speak to millions of mainly young men about a range of issues.
Rogan said Harris had considered appearing on his show but it fell through -- a decision that may have proved costly.
"I think the whole bro-culture/podcast network thing was absolutely central" to boosting Trump's appeal among the key young male demographic, Paul Johnson, an associate professor of communication at the University of Pittsburgh, told AFP.
Trump's ties to the fight world run deep. He has circulated with boxing promoters like Don King, featured retired WrestleMania star Hulk Hogan at the Republican convention in August, and hosted UFC bouts at his casinos in early days when the series struggled to gain traction.
Now it's a multi-billion dollar behemoth. UFC merged last year with the WWE, whose pro wrestling precursor World Wrestling Federation was run by the legendary promoter Vince McMahon.
Linda McMahon, his wife, was tapped by Trump to head the Small Business Administration during his first term. She now heads his transition team, holding immense sway over who joins Team Trump.
In a bizarre merging of worlds, Jake Paul, the YouTube sensation who joined Trump on a podcast during the campaign, was fighting boxing icon Mike Tyson -- 30 years his senior - in a much-hyped matchup Friday.
But it's UFC that turns more heads today.
"It is the sport of heroes, and I think president Trump's embrace of that really did help" him defeat Harris, Campbell McLaren, a co-creator of UFC, told the Sportico podcast after the election.
"We root for them because we want a hero," he said of the sport's fighters. "Trump made himself the hero."