Trump to attend UFC 314 fight in Miami: What time is Yair Rodriguez, Patricio Freire match
The Super Bowl. The Daytona 500. NCAA wrestling championship finals. LIV Golf Tournament. Now UFC. President Donald Trump has made high-profile sporting events part of his legacy during his second administration.
Trump returned to Florida for his 10th visit this term, a weekend sojourn that kicked off with a scheduled speech to Palm Beach County Republicans at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, April 11. When Air Force One touched down at Palm Beach International Airport that night, he was accompanied by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Musk's son, Little X.
The county GOP chapter held its annual Lincoln Day gala at the 'Winter White House,' the nickname for Trump's home and private club, Mar-a-Lago. Trump was the named keynote speaker and his DOGE chief Musk was set to receive an award. On Saturday, April 12, the pair were together again: Trump sported a hat that read, "Gulf of America, yet another TRUMP development" when he left Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach with Musk in 'the Beast,' his presidential limo that's part of his motorcade.
If you're keeping track, this is Trump's 10th visit to his home state and the ninth to Mar-a-Lago since his term started Jan. 20, 2025, or Inauguration Day.
His visit to the UFC mixed martial arts fight in Miami, Florida, comes a week after his LIV Golf Tournament weekend, which was hosted at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami.
What time is the UFC MMA fight in Miami and what other high-profile sporting events had Trump attended during his second term as U.S. president? Keep reading.
During Trump's visit to Florida the weekend of April 11-13, 2025, he is expected to jaunt south to Miami-Dade County to attend UFC Fight 314 at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami.
Trump is an avid sports fan, having attended the Super Bowl, Daytona 500 and appeared at the Saudi-backed LIV golf tournament held April 3-6, 2025, at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami-Dade. Sports, however, are not just a passion, they have proven politically fruitful.
Political analysts have noted that Trump's engagement in sporting and other events has appealed to wider swaths of voters, too.
"It's part of the reason why he's been able to reach a broader audience because he has been showing up at venues you wouldn't typically expect to see a politician," said David Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst, in an interview with the Palm Beach Post in summer 2024. "He's been to UFC fights, F1 races. He's been to SneakerCon."
At long last, Patricio Freire will make his UFC debut. His featherweight fight with Yair Rodriguez scheduled for three rounds will take place Saturday, April 12, 2025, at UFC 314 from Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Freire, 37, comes to the UFC after being one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history, where he was a two-division champion and holds the promotion record for most wins (24). Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) successfully was granted his release from the Professional Fighters League (PFL) after it did away with Bellator as a brand, and now he has a chance to make an immediate impact in the UFC featherweight division.
Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), 32, is a former interim UFC champion who is currently ranked No. 5 in the official rankings at 145 pounds. He'll enter the bout on a two-fight skid after being finished back-to-back by Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.
The Saturday, April 12, 2025, UFC 314 lineup consists of 13 fights. Early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET, prelims at 8 p.m. ET, and the pay-per-view main card at 10 p.m. ET.
Rodriguez and Freire are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 10:45 p.m. ET.
The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
President Donald Trump has made high-profile sporting events part of his legacy during his second administration. As of April 12, 2025, Trump has attended:
Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb. 9 2025. Certain members of the Trump family attended with the president, including Donald Trump Jr., his girlfriend Bettina Anderson, and three of his children with ex-wife Vanessa Trump; Ivanka Trump and her son Theo Trump; Eric and Lara Trump.
The Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2025. Eric and Lara Trump attended with their children, Luke Trump and Carolina Trump.
The NCAA wrestling championship finals at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 22, 2025. Wearing a black SpaceX hoodie, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, and Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, sat with Trump in the VIP area.
LIV Golf weekend, April 3-6, 2025, at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida, where the president's resort hosted the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament. He made headlines for landing his helicopter, Marine One, on the golf course.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump, UFC 314 fight in Miami: What time is Rodriguez, Freire match?
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump aides want Texas to redraw its congressional maps to boost the GOP. What would that mean?
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The Hill
24 minutes ago
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ICE raids accelerate, protests spread
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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
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Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far' Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, says he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president (Kevin Dietsch) (Kevin Dietsch/GETTY IMAGESvia AFP) Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X, in a message that was received favorably by the White House. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up -- largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week -- was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. ADVERTISEMENT Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk -- one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election -- to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." But after Musk's expression of regret, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump was "appreciative," adding that "no efforts" had been made on a threat by Trump to end some of Musk's government contracts. "The president acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning, and he is appreciative of it," Leavitt said. ADVERTISEMENT According to the New York Times, Musk's message followed a phone call to Trump late on Monday night. Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susan Wiles had also been working with Musk on how to broker a truce with Trump, the report said. - 'Wish him well' - In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days, with Musk describing the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. ADVERTISEMENT Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both already appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking. bur-arp/aha
