It appears that the negative reaction President Trump received from fans at a recent Washington Commanders game may have prompted him to skip this weekend’s UFC 322 card in New York City.
More than maybe any other elected official in American history, Donald Trump has always shown his love for fight sports, especially the UFC. While he has a history with boxing and WWE, his relationship with the MMA world leader is firm due to his friendship with its CEO, Dana White. That’s why he is having a UFC event on the White House lawn next summer.
He was the first president to ever attend a UFC event in 2019 when he was front row at UFC 244 inside Madison Square Garden. Since then, he has become a staple of cards inside the “World’s Most Famous Arena” and has not missed a show since 2022. Well, that is going to change this week.
While President Trump was at the company’s event this time last year with his posse, including Tesla boss Elon Musk, White revealed Friday that the nation’s top lawmaker will not be attending Saturday night’s card in MSG.
Why is President Trump not attending UFC 322?
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Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
There may be many different reasons why Donald Trump will not be at UFC 322 this weekend. He is the United States President and is a busy man. However, it did not stop him from making a lengthy trip to Asia in October or attending a Great Gatsby-themed party recently.
For him to pass on seeing some friends and sit front row in Madison Square Garden is an opportunity he rarely passes up. Especially now that the historic government shutdown that has been going on for weeks has finally ended. So why is he not going to UFC 322? Well, it may have something to do with the reaction he received at another major sporting event.
Over the weekend, President Trump was at the Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions game to read an oath for members of the military to recite as part of an on-field enlistment ceremony. When he was shown on camera and read the oath, he was loudly booed by NFL fans in attendance. He may feel the same could happen in New York on Saturday.
While UFC fans in New York have always been accepting of Trump, citizens in the massive city just recently elected Zohran Mamdani to be their next mayor by a wide margin. He has clashed with the president in recent months, and Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from the city if he wins.
Trump officials may be concerned New Yorkers are down on him as much as ever and will jump at the chance to rain down boos on him at the event.
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After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos