Trump and his team receive a warm welcome to UFC Fight Night

Newly elected US President Donald Trump was greeted by singing fans on Saturday as he attended the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Trump entered the arena shortly before the start of the main card, accompanied by UFC CEO Dana White, who was a prominent financier during his election campaign.

Several of Trump’s political allies were also present at the mixed martial arts fights, including entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped by Trump to lead efforts to reduce government inefficiency.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump nominated as health secretary, was also at the fight, and a photo on X showed the pair flying to the event together on Trump’s private plane.

The evening had the feel of a post-election night out for Republicans.

Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who was tapped for the role of director of national intelligence, was also in the crowd, along with Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr. and musician Kid Rock – a regular at Trump rallies.

After waving to the chanting crowd, Trump warmly greeted UFC broadcast analyst Joe Rogan, the popular podcast host who also endorsed Trump after appearing as a guest on his show.

The giant jumbotron screen above the cage where fighters fought then showed a video showing highlights from the election campaign, with sound bites from Trump.

The film ended with the numbers 45 and 47 on the screen, representing the Republican’s previous and upcoming presidency.

Fans chanted “USA, USA,” a refrain often heard at Trump rallies, including one he held at Madison Square Garden last month.

Trump watched the fights alongside Musk from front-row seats next to the caged octagon.

After Jon Jones defended his heavyweight title with a third-round technical knockout against fellow American Stipe Miocic in the main event, the fighter celebrated with Trump’s signature “YMCA” dance.

“I want to thank President Donald Trump for being here tonight,” said Jones, who received a huge roar of approval from the crowd.

After leading the crowd in another round of “USA, USA” chants, Jones then gave his heavyweight championship belt to Trump and spent some time talking to the newly elected president.

Trump regularly attends UFC events and attended three fights during his campaign for the White House.

His ties to the fighting world run deep. He hosted retired WrestleMania star Hulk Hogan at the Republican convention in August and hosted UFC fights at his casinos in the early days, when the series was struggling to gain traction and long before it became its current billion-dollar success.

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