Famed MMA coach Javier Mendez joined hands with Dana White in extending his support to Donald Trump after a recent assassination attempt was made on the former president's life. On July 13, Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He suffered minor injuries while the suspect and one other person were reported dead.
White, the UFC CEO, shares a close personal relationship with the 78-year-old former president and is a vocal supporter of his campaign. Following the assassination attempt, White took to Instagram and shared his thoughts on the incident.
The post included the picture of Trump being escorted off the stage after the assassination attempt. The defiant former president is seen raising his hands to show that he was undeterred. White wrote:
"This image perfectly reflects EXACTLY the man I know Donald Trump to be. He is the toughest, most resilient, AMERICAN BAD A** on this planet. I hope the weak coward that shot him gets what he deserves, and I can’t WAIT to stand up on stage with him on Thursday and introduce him at the Republican National Convention and tell the WORLD exactly the character of the friend and man I KNOW!!"
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Recently, Mendez shared White's quote with Trump's picture on his Instagram story. The screenshot of this was re-posted by @the_ufcguy on X.
Check out Javier Mendez's Instagram story below:
Apart from Mendez, prominent UFC fighters like Conor McGregor, Sean Strickland, Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, among others, have shown solidarity with Trump and wished him well after the assassination attempt.
The MMA community's support for Trump stems from his massive contribution to the survival and growth of the UFC in the early 2000s.
Dana White explained how Donald Trump supported the UFC in the darkest hour
Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta acquired the UFC in the early 2000s along with their business partner Dana White. MMA was a marginalized sport at the time and found little support in the mainstream.
Donald Trump was one of the first individuals who saw the potential in the sport and extended help. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, White revealed:
"It was basically considered a blood sport. The state athletic commissions didn't support us, Arenas around the world refused to host our events. Nobody took us seriously, nobody... Except Donald Trump!"
He added:
"He hosted our first two events at his venue, he dealt with us personally, he got in the trenches with us and he made a deal that worked for everyone. Donald championed the UFC before it was popular, before it grew into a successful business and I will always be grateful. So grateful to him for standing with us in those early days."
Check out Dana White's comments below (0:45):