Donald Trump is happy to see the UFC back in action.
The President of the United States was featured in a pre-taped video during Saturday’s UFC 249 preliminary broadcast on ESPN, congratulating UFC president Dana White and the UFC for resuming operations and hosting the card during the global pandemic.
Trump said the following during the broadcast”
“I want to congratulate Dana White and the UFC, they’re going to have a big match,” Trump said. “We love it, we think it’s important, get the sports league’s back. Let’s play, we do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do, but we need sports. We want our sports back and congratulations to Dana White and the UFC.”
UFC 249 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Fla. was not only the first UFC card in the U.S. since the outbreak of coronavirus forced stay-at-home orders in most of the country, but also the first major sporting event of any sort.
Although the UFC have paired with the Florida State Boxing Commission and has implemented several safety protocols to deal with COVID-19, there’s been plenty of criticism surrounding whether or not professional fighting should resume.
Below is the video of President Trump congratulating White:
