LAS VEGAS — Just before the main event of UFC 264 between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, former President Donald Trump walked into the event to a roar of cheers inside T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.
Trump came through the fighter tunnel before the welterweight bout between Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson. The crowd was on its feet as he was escorted to his seat near the octagon, near where supporter and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was seated.
Despite the mainly pro-Trump crowd, there were some faint boos sprinkled in throughout. However, they were quickly drowned out as multiple "U-S-A" chants broke out.
Trump and UFC President Dana White have had a long-standing friendship. In November 2019, Trump became the first person ever elected into office to attend a UFC event when he sat cageside at UFC 244 in his home state of New York, where he received more boos than cheers. White, in return, spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, advocating for Trump's presidential re-election.
Following UFC 264, White told reporters he met with Trump before the main event and that having Trump at T-Mobile Arena was just, "two friends, who are fight fans, watching a fight."
Trump's attendance is one of the few public appearances he's made since leaving the White House in January. He recently held a rally in Florida as the Trump Organization was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan for tax-related offenses last week.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jord_mendoza.
