UFC chief Dana White speaks onstage alongside Trump
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO and President Dana White spoke alongside former President Trump in Florida early Wednesday as the Republican nominee declared victory in the 2024 election.
"Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does. This is what happens when the machine comes after you," White said to a crowd of supporters before Trump took the stage.
White also recounted how Trump asked him to deliver remarks at the event, which coincided with a family trip for the UFC executive.
"He's fighting for the future of this country, and he's concerned about interrupting my family trip. That's the President Trump that I know — a man who truly cares about people," White said.
White assured the crowd that the Trump campaign did not tell him what to say as he applauded the former president for being a "fighter."
"I just want to make something very clear: Nobody in the Trump campaign has ever told me what to say, nobody tells me what to say, and I'm nobody's puppet. And I'm not telling you what to think, I'm telling you what I know. And I know President Trump. I know President Trump as a fighter," White said.
"I'm in the tough guy business, and this man is the toughest, most resilient human being that I've ever met in my life," White added.
Trump mentioned the UFC president at an event earlier this week capping his Pennsylvania campaign, suggesting he should set up a fighting league for migrants.
“Those Penn State guys, I wanted them to wrestle the migrants. I told — you know the UFC, Dana White? They killed me on this. I told Dana to set up your league of champions … and a migrant league. At the end, I want the migrant to go against the champion. And I think migrant might actually win,” Trump said at one point. “That’s how nasty some of these guys are.”
Decision Desk HQ has projected that Trump won the presidency, making the call early Wednesday after declaring Trump projected victories in Pennsylvania and Alaska, putting him over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure a win.