'MAN. MYTH. LEGEND.': Donald Trump's UFC walkout in Newark goes viral as crowd cheers and phones flash
He walked shoulder to shoulder with
UFC President Dana White
, a longtime ally, to the beat of Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass.' The two settled into their cageside seats just as the pay-per-view action kicked off at the Prudential Center.
Phones in the air, cheers in the room
Fans inside the venue erupted as Trump made his entrance. Arms reached high to capture photos. Many cheered. Some stretched their phones skyward to record what they called a 'legendary' moment.
Trump shook hands as he walked the perimeter of the octagon. Among those he greeted was former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. Trump also exchanged a handshake with UFC commentator Joe Rogan—who had hosted him for a long podcast interview during the final phase of last year's campaign.
He wasn't alone. Daughter Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, son Eric Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio were all part of the President's entourage.
Live Events
A relationship that goes back decades
Trump's bond with the UFC isn't new. His association with Dana White dates back more than two decades. In 2001, White hosted a UFC event at Trump's former Atlantic City casino, the Trump Taj Mahal. Since then, Trump has repeatedly appeared at high-stakes UFC matches—especially during key political moments.
In previous events, Trump had been joined by Musk. But with their friendship now fractured, he arrived this time without the billionaire tech mogul. Instead, he was backed by loyal figures from both politics and the fight world—including, at various events, musician Kid Rock and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
'Epic' or 'cringe'? Online reaction splits
The public response was immediate and polarising.
'President Trump makes an EPIC entrance with Dana White at UFC in Newark, and the crowd went WILD. What a LEGEND,' one user posted.
Another added, 'Whoa, that's a seriously high-profile entrance! You know it's going to be an electric atmosphere with those two in the building.'
'It's still mind-blowing, hysterical, and epic that Trump decided he wanted to start walking out of the tunnel at UFC fights and now it's his thing,' said a netizen.
Others focused on his interaction with Rogan. 'That's what I call a 'Driven dude' friendly handshake when he shakes hands with Joe Rogan,' said one. 'Poor Joe Rogan getting his arm ripped off again,' quipped another.
But not everyone was impressed.
One critic posted, 'Probably the most cringe and lame part of UFC currently.' Another added, 'Waste of taxpayers' money again and again.'
At the fights, while LA unravels
Some online users used the occasion to comment on Trump's domestic policies—particularly his deployment of 2,000 California National Guard troops to deal with riots in Los Angeles.
'Hoping those 2,000 Guard members can help restore peace in LA safely,' a user commented.
'A little calling out of the National Guard with a little good time at the UFC fights. All in a day's work. I voted for this!' wrote another.
UFC fighter greets Trump from inside the cage
Back inside the arena, the fights went on. In the opening bout with Trump in the audience, Kevin Holland secured a submission win over Vicente Luque. Moments later, Holland climbed the cage and made his way to shake hands with Trump and Dana White, pausing briefly for a chat before returning for his post-fight interview.
Two championship bouts were on the card, with Julianna Peña and Merab Dvalishvili scheduled to defend their 135-pound titles. But for many in the building—and on social media—it was the President's walkout that drew the loudest reaction.
Trump may have arrived to watch the fights. But once again, he became the main event.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Donald Trump eyes White House lawn as potential UFC battleground for nation's 250th anniversary
The Dana White– connection continues to thrive. And now it's heading straight to the White House lawn. President Donald Trump made a bombshell announcement during the 'America 250' event on the eve of July 4 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds: the UFC will organize a mixed martial arts fight on the grounds of the White House to celebrate America's 250th birthday in 2026. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The event is expected to draw nearly 25,000 spectators to the historic venue. 'Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this on the grounds of the White House,' Trump told the crowd. He continued, 'We have a lot of land there, we're going to build a little. We're not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind, going to be UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we're going to do that as part of '250'.' Trump further emphasized the scale of the celebration, adding, 'We're going to have some incredible events, some professional events, some amateur events. But the UFC fight is going to be a big deal, too.' The White House press secretary later confirmed Trump's intentions, calling them 'dead serious.' A UFC official also told CNN that plans are actively being discussed to bring the event to life. The UFC and Donald Trump has a long history It is no secret that Trump and White have been close allies since the early days of the UFC when the sport was banned in nearly all of the states in the US. Moreover, it was termed as 'human cockfighting' owing to the violent and unorganised nature of the promotion when it kicked off in 1993, and in the later years, popularly known as 'The Dark Ages'. Moreover, Trump even offered his illustrious 'Trump Taj Mahal' in Atlantic City way back in 2001 when the UFC was struggling to find venues for its events. And in recent times, this bond has only grown stronger with the POTUS attending multiple UFC PPVs since 2019, including UFC 244, UFC 299, UFC 309, UFC 314, and UFC 316. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apart from this, Dana White was also part of Trump's presidential campaign and, alongside Joe Rogan, was a big part in getting Trump back into office. It will be interesting to see how the UFC brings its fighting DNA to the culture of the White House. Also Read:
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Trump to celebrate 250 years of independence with UFC fight at White House
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's thinking of staging a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. We have a lot of land there, said Trump, a UFC enthusiast who has attended several of its mixed martial arts matches in recent months and is close friends with Dana White, the league's president. Trump announced his plan in Iowa during the kickoff for a year's worth of festivities to celebrate America's 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. The Republican president also announced a culminating festival on the National Mall in Washington, and a separate athletic competition featuring high school athletes from across the country. So every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250. And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight," Trump said. "Think of this on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there," he said, adding that it would be a full fight with 20,000 to 25,000 people. A White House spokesperson said they had no details to share beyond the president's announcement. Trump has recently enjoyed standing ovations and cage-side seats for several UFC fights, including an appearance immediately after his 2024 reelection and another just last month alongside White for two championship fights.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: The wrench in India's 2036 Olympic dream
Good morning, The controversial 'One Big, Beautiful' Bill, designed to slash taxes and federal spending while benefiting the top 1 per cent, has cleared the US House of Representatives, marking a major legislative win for the Trump administration. The Bill, which adds $3.3 trillion to the national debt and guts funding for food and health programmes aiding low-income Americans, passed after an all-night debate. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries delivered the longest House floor speech in modern history, fiercely opposing the Bill. This followed a dramatic 51-50 Senate vote on Tuesday, with Vice President J D Vance breaking the tie. Though several Republicans had expressed concerns over the Bill, only two (and all Democrats) voted against it on Thursday night. The House passed the Bill 218-214, sending it to Trump's desk for signing. On that note, let's get to today's edition. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may have thwarted India's ambitious plans to host the 2036 Olympics. At a high-profile meeting in Lausanne on Tuesday, the IOC asked the Indian delegation to set its house in order before preparing the master plan. High-ranking Indian officials, including Gujarat Home and Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P T Usha, were present at the meeting. Red flags: Sources told The Indian Express that the IOC flagged governance issues at IOA, doping concerns and India's poor performance at the Olympics during the meeting. Crucially, the IOA has not been receiving IOC's athlete welfare grants since October 2024. The international body has said it won't release the funds till the administrative logjam, which has seen Usha at loggerheads with her Executive Council, ends. My colleague Mihir Vasavda goes into the details in his report. However, India's hopes are not completely dashed yet. India could host future Olympics, depending on how quickly it resolves the issues. Notably, the IOC last week decided to 'pause' the selection process of future hosts, owing to transparency concerns flagged by the committee members. This could buy India time. As the Election Commission embarks on the mammoth task of verifying the citizenship of 7.8 crore registered voters in Bihar, The Indian Express visited multiple districts to track the ground reality. While a declaration that an applicant is a citizen is required for all new registrations, this time, the EC is asking for citizenship proof for all new as well as existing voters. Electors must now submit one of 11 specific documents notified by the Commission. Common IDs like Aadhaar, ration cards, or voter cards no longer suffice. This has triggered a rush among voters to obtain residential or caste certificates before the deadline, with many also struggling to procure legacy documents such as those belonging to their parents. Read our report. Hit the brakes: The Delhi government has asked the Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to put the fuel ban for end-of-life vehicles on hold, just days after it came into effect. The reason? The Environment Minister cited a host of infrastructural issues and even 'public discontent'. Down the drain: Recently, concerns were raised over the inflated cost of work contracts under the Jal Jeevan Mission (rural water tap scheme) in some states. Water Minister C R Patil told The Indian Express that the Centre has stopped paying the tender premium (the difference in the government's approved cost and the bidder's quote) as money was being 'unnecessarily wasted'. Injustice: In 2003, Gujarati-American Sandeep 'Sonny' Bharadia was convicted of burglary and sexual assault in Georgia, US. The conviction was bizarre. On the ill-fated day, Bharadia was 400 km away from the crime site. Only his car, which he had earlier reported missing, was used by the actual perpetrator. Even DNA evidence implicated someone else in the crime. Yet, it took two decades for Bharadia to be exonerated of all charges. Read his story. Gill's day: Shubhman Gill's marathon double century at the second England vs India Test match is the talk of the town. And rightly so. The Indian skipper has overtaken Sachin Tendulkar's highest individual score and even surpassed Virat Kohli's highest score as captain. National sports editor Sandeep Dwivedi writes how Gill, earmarked to take India's batting legacy forward, has earned his stripes. Also read: How Jadeja outlasted Kohli, Rohit, Ashwin to become the great Indian survivor The 'S' word: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has called for the removal of the words 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble to the Constitution. These words were added by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, stoking controversy. The RSS now wants to turn the clock back. But it isn't so easy. Contributing editor Neerja Chowdhury writes why the RSS demands put the BJP in a tricky position. Countering China: The Quad group of nations, comprising India, Australia, Japan and the US, has launched an initiative to secure supply chains of critical minerals. The move is aimed at countering China's stranglehold over the resources vital to new technologies. Under new Ministry of Transport and Highways guidelines, cab aggregators such as Uber, Ola and Rapido may now charge customers up to twice the base fare as the maximum fare. This will allow ride-hailing platforms more flexibility in dynamic pricing, which entails increasing prices during high demand and vice versa during low demand periods. What exactly is dynamic pricing? Is it the same as surge pricing? We explain. 🎧 Before you go, tune in to today's '3 things' podcast episode, where we discuss: what led to the Rath Yatra stampede, why the Telengana chemical factory blast is a 'rarest of rare' case, and the government's bid to fast-track decision-making. That's all for today, folks! Until next week, Sonal Gupta Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take. ... Read More
