Dana White, Trump’s “best friend,” rules out a political career

For some time now, Trump has been present at some of the big events that the UFC has held in the United States, always in the front row and side by side with Dana White. The UFC boss returned that support to his “best friend” and, during the election campaign, he lavished himself publicly on several occasions to collect the vote in favor of the Republican leadersomething that, from his trenches, has had an effect.

In this context, many citizens have wondered how far the top executive of the UFC can go in his approach to politics, something that Dana White has stepped up to ensure that he will not seek a career in this sector. «Donald Trump is one of my best friends. He did a great job in his last term as president and I know he will do an even better job in the next four years. But I have no personal political aspirations.», he pointed out bluntly in conversation with Sports Business Journal.

A friendship of decades

In the United States, the image and prominence of Dana White on Donald Trump’s most important night did not surprise anyone, but on this side of the pond, some still wonder what the mixed martial arts magnate was doing there.

The friendship that unites them spans more than two decades, thanks to the support that the new American president gave them at a critical moment for the UFC and the acceptance of the sport in the country that has the largest market share. «No one took us seriously at that time, except Donald Trump. “He was there when others were not,” Dana White has once pointed out in this regard.

It was the early years of this millennium when Dana White asked brothers Frank and Lorenzo Ferttita to compare the UFC, which was bankrupt. These, good friends of his for years and multimillionaires thanks to the hotels and casinos they owned, listened to him and put him in charge of the largest mixed martial arts organization. There were times when the acceptance of this company was not very great in the US and there were movements against this discipline.. But Trump came out in support of Dana White. And he never forgot it.

Over time, the UFC grew in success and popularity in North America, and Dana White began to become a sports and entertainment mogul. To give context, the UFC was bought in 2001 for 2 million dollars and, 15 years later and thanks to the management of Dana White, it was sold for 4,000 million, multiplying its market value by 2,000. Thus the CEO of the American fighting league exploded as a media figure and Dana White, far from following the advice of remaining impartial as a sports image, clearly positioned himself next to his colleague Trump.

Furthermore, although in his first electoral race he tacitly supported him, in these last elections he has participated very actively throughout the campaign and on election night. The result has been unbeatable for both, since it is well known that, if the Democratic side had won, their seat within the UFC could have been in a little more danger. In the end, sport and politics always have connections that can end up with certain positions of power.

Be that as it may, Dana White, a man of strong principles and a complicated childhood, was very clear that he was not going to abandon whom he considers “one of his best friends.” In fact, Trump’s support for the UFC and mixed martial arts is capitalized on by his front-row presence at numerous events. A bond that became stronger on election night if possible. Now, both will enjoy the taste of victory, in the form of the presidency of the United States.