Mixed martial arts fighters are set to host a two-day training program for FBI agents, agency director Kash Patel and UFC CEO Dana White announced.
Current and former UFC fighters will host an “exclusive training seminar” at the FBI’s Special Agent Academy in Quantico, Virginia, this weekend, according to a statement released Wednesday. Academy students and senior FBI staff are expected to attend.
UFC CEO Dana White said Wednesday the organization is “proud to support the FBI in strengthening their defense techniques.”
“I have tremendous respect for the FBI and the work they do every day to protect this country,” he said. “Our UFC fighters are some of the baddest men and women on the planet and they are heading to Quantico to train the best FBI agents in mixed martial arts.
The athletes, joined by UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, will “provide insight into how they train for competition, as well as demonstrate specific techniques and tactics, offering a unique perspective to the students as they prepare to enter the field office,” according to the statement.
Patel called the seminar a “tremendous opportunity” for agents to “learn and train with some of the greatest athletes on earth.”
“Dana White has changed the game in the mixed martial arts industry and we’re extremely honored to be partnered with him, the professionals, and the UFC,” he said. “We are grateful for their shared love of our nation, so that we can better defend her.”
Patel first floated this idea in February 2025, during a conference call with the FBI’s 55 field office supervisors, according to media reports from the time. Some FBI agents called the idea "surreal" and "wacky,” two sources briefed on the discussion previously told Reuters
The athletes will include former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler, former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha, interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethe, and MMA fighter Renzo Gracie.
Top UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape, UFC BMF champion Jorge Masvidal and former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will also attend.
White, a long-time ally of President Donald Trump’s, is also working with his administration to host a UFC fight at the White House later this year as part of the America 250 celebrations. The event is slated for June 14, Trump’s 80th birthday.
Wednesday’s announcement comes just weeks after Patel faced backlash for partying with members of the U.S. men’s hockey team in their locker room at the Winter Olympics. A widely shared video appeared to show Patel chugging beer as he celebrated the team’s gold medal win.
Patel later addressed the controversy on X, writing that he was “extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys.”
“Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth,” he added.
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