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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Bryan Armen Graham

From ‘human cockfighting’ to the White House lawn: the stratospheric rise of the UFC’s Dana White

Dana White Donald Trump UFC White House United States the White House Joe Rogan Don King Theo Von MMA
Donald Trump and Dana White lean close together in conversation at a UFC event
Dana White and Donald Trump in Miami, Florida, on 12 April 2025. Photograph: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Rising from the South Lawn of the White House is a 92ft-tall skeletal structure known as “the Claw”. Beneath it sits an octagonal cage surrounded by sponsor logos, temporary grandstands and thousands of seats for a mixed martial arts card on Sunday night to celebrate Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.

The event has prompted comparisons to Idiocracy, Mike Judge’s satire of a future US where politics, entertainment and corporate branding become indistinguishable. Others have gone further, dismissing it as a “kleptocratic spectacle”.

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