The sport of MMA has always divided people throughout the years. Some see it as just gross violence, while others see it as a legitimate sport, taking real athleticism and skill. However, now the divide has become political.
On June 14th the UFC will be hosting an event in Washington D.C., not in the famous Capital One arena, which has hosted two previous UFC events. Instead, it will be held directly on the White House Lawn.
While many feel excited for the event, others believe differently. For instance, Sofie Knight (12) thinks “Our country should focus on real problems we have as a nation, not on trying to host a giant fight by our capital.”
While this may feel random, this is not out of place for the UFC and MMA as a whole as this has been decades in the making.
Back in the fall of 2000, the UFC was losing an exorbitant amount of money, and many politicians led by John McCain attempted to ban the sport entirely. At that time Dana White struggled to book any venue, let alone an arena.
That was until one famous billionaire, named Donald Trump reached out and offered to host an event at his hotel. Ever since that moment, Trump went to as many UFC events as he could, and Dana White states that for him and Trump’s close friendship.
However, Dana always forgets to mention how Trump tried to run the UFC out of business in the late 2000’s. In fact, Trump loved MMA so much he helped back a new company which was in direct competition with the UFC. While Trump’s company fizzled out quite quickly, he remained involved with the sport and stayed in contact with Dana White.
Which has led up to the modern day where Trump used the UFC and its connections as a key asset to secure his reelection as president. It started with his grand entrances into the arenas, which paused the entire event. Eventually, this led to him doing podcasts with Joe Rogan, NELK, and other influential figures for young men.
Once Trump finally got elected, his connection with Dana White and the UFC was very obvious, but once Trump mentioned a potential fight at the White House no one believed it. As an avid UFC fan Braden Walker (10) thought, “I was pretty sure it was a joke at first. Because the UFC has had big events but a fight at the White House seemed crazy.”
Now the event is only two weeks away, and construction has just begun at the White House. The card is being headlined by the sport’s two biggest current stars.
In the Main Event, Illia Topuria is going up against long standing UFC veteran Justin Gaethje for the lightweight championship. Illia is undefeated and has an incredibly strong wrestling and jiu jitsu background. Furthermore, in his UFC run he has been known for his elite boxing and incredible knockouts. His meteoric rise has been compared to a young Connor McGregor.
For the heavyweight championship, the co-main, Alex Pereira, is fighting against Ciryl Gane. Alex Pereira is a former kickboxing champion, who in his transition to MMA has lit up the sport in such a short time. With his earth shattering knockouts he has connected deeply with the American fans despite barely knowing how to speak english.
When asked about his thoughts on the potential White House card, Kanen Stiles (12) stated, “I am so excited for the fights. Not only is it a really cool venue, with insane spectacle, and the fights are lined up to be really entertaining.”
Whether you hate it or love it, the UFC is not leaving anytime soon, and the White House fights are expected to be the biggest in the history of the sport.
