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UFC CEO Dana White is set to introduce 2024 United States presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18 next Thursday. This marks one of several instances of White showing his support for Trump, with whom he has a strong friendship.
More specifically, this isn't the first time that White has spoken at a Republican National Convention on Trump's behalf, having done so in both 2016 and 2020. The two men are lifelong friends and White has vowed to stand by Trump's side through anything and everything.
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White's scheduled appearance for next Thursday was first reported exclusively by the Wall Street Journal. The allegiance shown by White is due to Trump's historical support of the UFC long before it became a mainstay of mainstream sports with superstars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey at the helm.
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At the time, MMA as a whole was a niche sub-set of combat sports, fighting for scraps of attention under the shadow of boxing. The sport wasn't even legal in some states. During this time, when the UFC was finding difficulty in finding venues to host its events, Trump welcomed the promotion to the Trump Taj Mahal.
Thus, White feels that what he is doing now in support of Trump is only fair, as the former United States president proved instrumental in maintaining the UFC's health during its most difficult years. So, despite several controversies finding themselves at Trump's doorstep, White has never turned his back on him.
He will continue to stand by his side and introduce him on Thursday at the Republican National Convention like he has in the past.
Donald Trump has joined Dana White at several UFC events
The friendship between Donald Trump and Dana White is such that the former United States president turned up to various UFC events, with UFC 302 being the most recent. Trump enjoyed several moments with some of the promotion's most popular fighters, including Sean Strickland and Kevin Holland.
Check out Dana White and Donald Trump's arrival at UFC 302:
Before that, he was spotted at UFC 299, where Sean O'Malley defended his bantamweight belt against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. He was also present for UFC 296, UFC 295, UFC 290, and UFC 287.
