One person who witnessed the event was was President Donald Trump and UFC President Dana White calls Trump’s appearance “a big night for the sport.”
“Whoever you are, this is America. You can believe or do whatever you want. If you want to boo, you can boo,” White said at the post-fight press conference (via Simon Head & Ken Hathaway of MMA Junkie). “As an American, you can do whatever you want to do, and you can choose whatever side you want to be on. So I just felt like tonight we were going to walk in and whatever happened, happened. The guy told me as a friend he was coming to see the fights, and he did tonight, and I appreciate him, and it was a big night for the sport.”
Trump and White have had a long relationship that dates back to the UFC 30 card in February of 2001.
White also says that Trump was supposed to watch the show from a suite inside of Madison Square Garden, but the President opted to check out the show from the crowd.
“Tonight wasn’t about how you feel politically about the president,” White said. “We weren’t legal in New York because of some political (expletive) a few years ago. Tonight, the President of the United States was here, watching a UFC event. They wanted him in a suite, of course, (but) he doesn’t listen to them. He does what he wants to do. But yeah, they wanted him in a suite. I’m not an expert in security, but I think it’s a lot easier to protect him in a suite than it is in the second row. But, again, testament to our fans. It’s our President. It’s the President of the United States, man. And tonight I was happy and proud that the crowd here in New York treated him with respect and just made the night so much cooler. Everything was so cool tonight.”
It is unknown at this time as to if or when President Trump may attend another UFC card, as his campaign for reelection has begun for the 2020 Presidential Election.
