Trump attends UFC championship fight in New Jersey, taking a break from politics, Musk feud
U.S. President Donald Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at the Prudential Center on Saturday (June 8, 2025) night, putting his public feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk on hold to instead watch the fierce battles inside the cage.
Mr. Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats for UFC 316 to Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass.' Mr. Trump and White did the same for UFC's card last November at Madison Square Garden, only then they were joined by Mr. Musk.
Also Read | Musk deletes post claiming Trump 'in the Epstein files'
Mr. Trump shook hands with fans and supporters — a heavyweight lineup that included retired boxing great Mike Tyson — on his way to the cage. Mr. Trump was joined by his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, along with son Eric Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Mr. Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team, which included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours in the final stages of the campaign last year.
UFC fans went wild for Mr. Trump and held mobile devices in their outstretched arms to snap pictures of him. Trump is a longtime UFC enthusiast and frequent attendee of major fights.
Mr. Trump arrived in time for the start of a card set to include two championship fights. Julianna Peña and Merab Dvalishvili were scheduled to each defend their 135-pound championships.
UFC fighter Kevin Holland choked out Vicente Luque to win the first fight with Mr. Trump in the building. He scaled the cage and shook hands with Mr. Trump. He briefly chatted with Trump and White before he returned for his post-fight interview.
Mr. Trump has been close to White for more than two decades.
White hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic City, and Mr. Trump has frequently attended UFC matches since — including during his 2024 campaign. Mr. Trump has turned up at fights recently with famous entourages, including White, musician Kid Rock and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.
Mr. Trump and White's alliance has yielded dividends for both parties. White stumped for Mr. Trump at Republican conventions while men who soak up fight nights threw their support behind Mr. Trump in the elections.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Trump's travel ban shuts door for Afghan family to bring niece to US for better life
Thousands of refugees came from Afghanistan Afghanistan was also one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with about 14,000 arrivals in a 12-month period through September 2024. Trump suspended refugee resettlement on his first day in office. It is a path Sharafoddin took with his wife and son out of Afghanistan walking on those mountain roads in the dark then through Pakistan, Iran and into Turkey. He worked in a factory for years in Turkey, listening to YouTube videos on headphones to learn English before he was resettled in Irmo, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia. His son is now 11, and he and his wife had a daughter in the US who is now 3. There is a job at a jewelry maker that allows him to afford a two-story, three-bedroom house. Food was laid out on two tables Saturday for a celebration of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Sharafoddin's wife, Nuriya, said she is learning English and driving — two things she couldn't do in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. 'I'm very happy to be here now, because my son is very good at school and my daughter also. I think after 18 years they are going to work, and my daughter is going to be able to go to college,' she said. Family wants to help a niece It is a life she wanted for her niece too. The couple show videos from their cellphones of her drawing and painting. When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, their niece could no longer study. So they started to plan to get her to the U.S. at least to further her education. Nuriya Sharafoddin doesn't know if her niece has heard the news from America yet. She hasn't had the heart to call and tell her. 'I'm not ready to call her. This is not good news. This is very sad news because she is worried and wants to come,' Nuriya Sharafoddin said. While the couple spoke, Jim Ray came by. He has helped a number of refugee families settle in Columbia and helped the Sharafoddins navigate questions in their second language. Ray said Afghans in Columbia know the return of the Taliban changed how the U.S. deals with their native country. But while the ban allows spouses, children or parents to travel to America, other family members aren't included. Many Afghans know their extended families are starving or suffering, and suddenly a path to help is closed, Ray said. 'We'll have to wait and see how the travel ban and the specifics of it actually play out,' Ray said. 'This kind of thing that they're experiencing where family cannot be reunited is actually where it hurts the most.' Taliban criticizes travel ban The Taliban have criticized Trump for the ban, with their top leader Hibatullah Akhundzada saying the US was now the oppressor of the world. 'Citizens from 12 countries are barred from entering their land — and Afghans are not allowed either,' he said on a recording shared on social media. 'Why? Because they claim the Afghan government has no control over its people and that people are leaving the country. So, oppressor! Is this what you call friendship with humanity?'
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
UFC 316: Merab Dvalishvili beats Sean O'Malley with north-south choke in Round 3
Merab Dvalishvili delivered a relentless performance at UFC 316 , submitting Sean O'Malley with a north-south choke at 4:42 of the third round to retain his bantamweight title on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It marked Dvalishvili's first win by choke — and only his second submission finish. Dvalishvili's submission victory marked his first finish since defeating Marlon Moraes in 2021, as he maintains his dominant position in the 135-pound weight class. With this win, Dvalishvili earned a bonus payment of $50,000 and continued his impressive run by securing his 13th consecutive victory. President Donald Trump witnessed Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA) showcase his dominant wrestling skills from the cageside. He exhausted the former champion and solidified his position amongst the elite bantamweights in the sport's history. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Dividend Stocks With Strong Ratings Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo — UnanimousDC (@UnanimousDC) Following his victory at 4:42 of the third round, marking his thirteenth straight win, Dvalishvili expressed interest in defending his title against Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA), who has emerged victorious in four of his previous five bouts. Live Events "You're the man, let's go," Dvalishvili said, pointing that he would be interested in fighting Sandhagen next. Kayla Harrison , the newly-crowned champion in the 135-pound division, received $50,000 for securing a submission victory in her title fight. The Olympic champion, with two gold medals to her name, systematically dominated Julianna Pena with superior grappling skills before securing a kimura submission at 4:55 of Round 2 in the UFC 316 co-main event. Kevin Holland delivered an impressive performance in the UFC 316 main card opener, finishing Vicente Luque with a D'Arce choke at 1:03 of the second round. Holland (28-13 MMA) has demonstrated his competitive edge by winning three out of his recent five bouts, coming out as a significant welterweight contender. Luque (23-11-1 MMA), who lives in New Jersey while hailing from Brazil, has experienced a challenging stretch with defeats in two of his previous three encounters.
New Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
India at the crossroads with bully Trump
Amidst this chaos, Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy team is beginning to look adrift. S Jaishankar, once hailed as the architect of India's confident global stance, now finds himself presiding over its diplomatic contraction. The balance-of-power game he so carefully choreographed is collapsing under the weight of America's unilateralism and its fatigue with India's fence-sitting. Will Modi make a course correction and appoint a new UN-trained foreign minister to walk India out of this Trumpian geopolitical gutter? A recalibration is essential—not just to salvage bilateral ties with the US, but to prevent India's world stature from being sabotaged as an unreliable ally with too many allegiances and not enough friends. If India is to reclaim its global voice, it must abandon the illusion that being everywhere at once is the same as leading. Trump's economic nationalism has turned into a direct assault on Indian manufacturing ambitions. Fresh tariffs on pharmaceuticals, electronics, and auto components—many of which form the bedrock of India's export growth—are back on the table. The H-1B visa pipeline is narrowing. India still has leverage. Its economy, diaspora, and strategic geography still matter. But it must now act like a serious power by choosing sides when necessary, holding partners accountable, and recognising when the winds have changed. In Trump's binary world, except for himself, there's no room for gurus—only dealmakers, debtors, and those who know when to pick a side. Unilaterally.
