The UFC and Donald Trump go back a long way. As Dana White himself was quick to point out in this interview with TMZ sports, back in 2000 and 2001, when Zuffa first bought the UFC, The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City was one of the few major venues willing to host the promotion as they struggled under the "human cockfighting" political backlash. Not long after that, the UFC's Las Vegas ties brought them to their current home base on the strip, but when times were hard, Trump was there for them. That's something that White hasn't forgotten and it's one of the reasons that Donald Trump will be getting his vote this election season.
"When we first bought this business, it was banned in most states, it wasn't supported by the ACs, and no arenas wanted this thing. Donald Trump was the first one to have us come out at the Trump Taj Mahal. Not only did we host the events there, he actually showed up and supported the events. You will never hear me say a negative thing about Donald Trump."
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Trump was also right there to congratulate White when the UFC landed it's FOX deal:
"When we did our big FOX deal, there was a big write-up in the NY Times. On the front page, he wrote 'Congratulations, Dana! I always knew you were going to do it,' and sent the front page to me. So me and Donald are cool."
So at the end of the day, when it comes down to the upcoming primaries or, should it go that far, the presidential elections, Dana White confirmed that Donald Trump has his vote. As he told TMZ, "Donald will get my vote."
Of course, if Trump's stated plan to bar Muslims from entering the US are implemented, that could make it impossible for executives of Flash Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi government, who own 10% of Zuffa to sit cageside in Las Vegas. The UFC also plays host to a number of Muslim athletes, many of them hailing from the Caucasus regions, including top lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov. A Trump presidency would have some interesting implications for booking these athletes for US shows.
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