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Former President Donald Trump made his first appearance at a sporting event since leaving office on Saturday, but you would hardly have known it from watching UFC 264.
Trump was one of the many celebrities in attendance at T-Mobile Arena last weekend, but unlike names like Baker Mayfield, Dave Chappelle and Justin Bieber, he did not air on the ESPN broadcast at the event card.
UFC President Dana White confirmed to TMZ on Thursday that this was not the plan. On the contrary, White described the omission of Trump’s promotion – with whom White has openly supported in the past and with whom he has done business for years – as a glaring mistake.
Disclaimer: The following video contains foul language.
White’s explanation:
“So what happened was we were getting ready to show him right between the main and main events. I think you remember we showed [Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.]. We showed OBJ, then it was supposed to go to David Spade, 2 Chainz, and then the President. We had a little problem in the truck and then the Conor fight ended in the second round so we never got the chance.
“Let me tell you what, big shit by my production crew, but you know it’s live TV and these things happen.”
So basically three things caused the UFC to fail to show Trump at his event. The first was the promotion that saved Trump’s appearance until the end of UFC 264, the second was the truck problem, and the third was the shocking end of the main event.
The long-awaited trilogy between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier has lasted quite a bit. Poirier had dominated for much of the fight, putting McGregor on the ground after an unsuccessful guillotine attempt, but things took a turn for the worse once they were both on their feet. McGregor broke his leg as he stepped back, ending the fight as a TKO via a doctor stoppage.
As well as costing McGregor a much-deserved victory and chance for the UFC lightweight title, that ending also cost the UFC the chance of a second go-around with Trump. When asked if ESPN could have pushed not to show Trump, White scoffed at the idea of not showing any former president in his house:
“No one is telling me how to run this show and I would never do that. Listen, politics aside, when a former president shows up, whether it’s Obama, whether it’s Trump, whether it’s Jimmy Carter, little me. no matter who shows up, we would respect a former President of the United States. “
Trump’s entry into UFC 264 has always been noticed by those around him, as he elicited a strong reaction upon entering the T-Mobile Arena. White called the reception “overwhelmingly positive,” though taunting can certainly be heard in the video of the entry:
Beyond Trump’s omission and McGregor’s tired ugliness, it seemed like a decent enough night for White. He told TMZ the event saw 1.8 million pay-per-view purchases – the second-largest in UFC history behind McGregor-Nurmagomedov and grossed nearly $ 18 million at the gate. .
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