Trump and Dana White: 25 Years From Atlantic City to White House UFC

The relationship between Donald Trump and UFC president Dana White traces back to a November 2000 night when mixed martial arts was banned in 36 states and desperate for a home.

Trump's Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City hosted UFC 28 that year, launching a 25-year alliance that will reach its most visible moment when the White House stages UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 — Trump's 80th birthday. Randy Couture recaptured the heavyweight title that night in front of 5,000 fans, but the more significant figure in attendance was White, then managing fighter John Lewis while plotting a takeover of the promotion with casino owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III.

From Bankruptcy-Era Casinos to Presidential Partnerships

Three months after that first event, White returned as UFC president when Zuffa LLC purchased the promotion for $2 million and immediately booked UFC 30 and UFC 31 at the same Trump property. "None of the venues wanted this," White told CBS's "60 Minutes" in 2025, per ESPN's retrospective published this week. "When the Trump brand was here [White holds his hand high overhead] and the UFC brand was down there [holding his hand near the floor], he saw it and said, 'I'd love to have it at my casino.'"

Trump's Atlantic City operation was hemorrhaging cash at the time, reporting a $133.8 million net loss for fiscal 1999 according to PBS, with the umbrella company filing for bankruptcy twice in the following decade. The UFC moved to bigger venues after UFC 30 — Continental Airlines Arena in June 2001 showed Trump cageside for the first time on broadcast — but returned to Atlantic City for UFC 41 in 2003 and UFC 50 in 2004, both at Boardwalk Hall with Trump Plaza as corporate host.

White has called Trump one of 10 friends in his tight circle, saying their bond strengthens each year. As a sitting president, Trump attended four UFC events, with White introducing him at two Republican National Conventions. The June 14 White House card will be the first live professional sporting event staged on the South Lawn, a distinction no championship team visit or amateur exhibition has matched.

Source: espn.com