Former president Donald Trump was greeted with a rumbustious applause on Saturday, June 1 upon arrival at UFC 302 just two days after his criminal conviction.
The Republican nominee – who is an avid fan of combat sports – was welcomed to the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey to witness UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev fight former interim champion Dustin Poirier.
Entering with the anti-Woke UFC President Dana White, Trump was greeted to a standing ovation from thousands in the arena as he walked in midway through the undercard. He shook hands with UFC officials including commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan before taking his ringside seats.
Throughout the night, the pro-Trump crowd chanted “USA, USA” during the Republican’s frequent appearances on the large screen. A vocal “we want Trump” chant could also be heard during the broadcast, while the nearly 18,000-strong crowd also expressed their disproval of President Joe Biden.
Throughout the evening, several fighters, including middleweights Sean Strickland and Kevin Holland, took time immediately after their bouts to shake hands with the former president. “President Trump, you’re the man… It is a damn travesty what they are doing to you,” said Strickland in his post-fight interview.
The event marked Trump’s first non-political public appearance since conviction just ten miles away from the Prudential Center earlier in the week.
Despite the attempts to disparage the former president by some members of the media, myths spouted online were quickly dispelled by users on the platform X. In a viral post. anti-Trump political commentator Ron Flipowski claimed that Aaron Rogers snubbed Trump for a handshake – but Rogers himself later dispelled that claim, posting a photo of himself shaking hands with Trump.
Those determined to knock back Trump and the UFC’s coverage of him were also silenced by reminders of his involvement in the early days of the UFC.
