Trump To Skip UFC 322 Event

Donald Trump will not be in attendance at UFC 322 headlined by JackDella Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. 

The card takes place at Madison Square Garden, as JDM makes his first defense of his welterweight belt. Meanwhile, Islam aims to make history by becoming a two-weight world champion. Trump has attended numerous UFC events previously, given he has a close relationship with Dana White. 

Trump was the first sitting President to attend a UFC card, appearing at UFC 244 in 2019 for the BMF title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. He has since appeared at UFC 295, UFC 299, UFC 309 and his last showing at UFC 316 in New Jersey for the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili rematch. 

Reports suggest the decision comes amidst public scrutiny and controversy surrounding Trump, including the fallout from emails linked to the Jeffrey Epstein estate. Furthermore, reports indicate that the negative reception the President recently received from fans at a Washington Commanders NFL game may have factored into the decision to skip the New York event. White confirmed he would not attend.

White Reacts

The UFC and Dana White have historically embraced Trump’s presence. For the promotion, Trump’s presence always ensures national news coverage. His absence, conversely, places the spotlight squarely on the historic title bouts: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev and Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili. This forces the focus back onto the competitive aspects of the sport, which can only be a positive thing.

Skipping the event also mitigates the risk of facing a divided crowd or a heavily negative reception at an event that is being televised globally. The UFC White House event is also set to go ahead next June, meaning that Trump has a chance to ultimately set the biggest card of all time on terms that will appear more favorable to him.

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.