Sports writer on the perils for the UFC and Dana White for bending the knee for Trump.

We can all see that just by how many musical acts have pulled out of Trump’s planned “US Freedom 250” celebrations this month. Trump has been so aggressively polarizing, so insistent on picking sides and attacking perceived enemies, that to be aligned with him is essentially to be at odds with the other half of the country (or slightly more, depending on the current price of gas). It’s bad enough that even goddamn Milli Vanilli doesn’t want to be associated with anything seen as pro-Trump.

The UFC, meanwhile, can’t wait to join this party. It seemingly wants to be known as the Trump-approved sports organization. That undoubtedly increases its appeal with some Americans, but it could also stain it forever with others. There are going to be people who know almost nothing about the UFC headed into June 2026, but come out of it thinking UFC = gladiator fights contested for the pleasure of the emperor on his front lawn.

If you think there’s zero risk of meaningful and lasting blowback to that approach, well, fine. But apparently Milli Vanilli disagrees. Milli fucking Vanilli. Just think about that one for a while.

https://thefightinglife.substack.com/p/is-the-ufc-prepared-for-the-backlash