Trump to attend UFC event in New York

by Brett Samuels - 10/30/19 1:55 PM ET

President Trump is expected to attend a mixed martial arts fight on Saturday night in New York City, according to a person familiar with his plans.

Trump is likely to be in the crowd for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 244 at Madison Square Garden. The event will be headlined by a welterweight fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz and will be broadcast on pay-per-view.

{mosads}Trump is friendly with UFC President Dana White, who supported Trump during the 2016 campaign and spoke at the Republican National Convention that year.

New York Times reporter Annie Karni first reported that Trump was tentatively scheduled to attend the UFC event on Saturday.

It’s unclear if Trump has other activities planned while he’s in New York City. He is expected to stay over at Trump Tower on Saturday night, which could complicate traffic on Sunday during the New York City marathon. Trump Tower is located not far from the marathon route.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Trump’s plans for the weekend.

The UFC match will mark the second sporting event of the week for Trump. He attended Game 5 of the World Series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, where he was vociferously booed by the crowd when he was shown on the scoreboard.

The New York City Police Department referred questions about added security for the UFC event and marathon to Secret Service, which did not respond.

TMZ reported that other expected attendees at the fight include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and New England Patriots owner and Trump ally Robert Kraft.

Tags Donald Trump Mixed martial arts New York UFC UFC