At the time, Donald Trump said he was being paid an “obscene” amount of money to call a fight between Evander Holyfield and former UFC champion Vitor Belfort.
He wasn’t kidding.
A revised personal financial disclosure filing from former President Trump revealed that his most lucrative speaking engagement during his post-presidential life paid him $2.5 million, which came from Triller Legends II LLC in September 2021.
Triller Fight Club promoted the crossover boxing match between Holyfield and Belfort, which Belfort won by first-round TKO on Sept. 11, 2021 at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. Trump provided color commentary during the four-fight main card.
Trump’s filing, which was made public Thursday, sheds details on his roughly $1 billion in earnings since he left office, much of it through speaking engagements and appearances, along with foreign business dealings. It also gives a sense of just how much money Triller poured into its boxing promotion, which it shut down about a year later in September 2022.
Trump, widely considered the Republican Party favorite to again run for president in 2024, has always had an affinity for combat sports. He’s a longtime friend of UFC president Dana White, who endorsed Trump for president 2016 and 2020 speeches at the Republican National Convention.
While he was president and since losing the 2020 election, Trump has attended several live UFC events. He most recently sat cageside with White last Saturday at UFC 290 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
