Former President Donald Trump received a warm welcome at UFC 302 on Saturday evening as he arrived at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Trump, joined by UFC CEO Dana White, was greeted with a standing ovation despite his recent legal troubles involving charges of falsifying business records. Prior to his appearance, Trump had announced his attendance at the event on Truth Social earlier in the day.
While not specifying the exact timing of his appearance in the Octagon, Trump’s presence added to the already star-studded event. The fight card included a headline bout between UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier, along with a co-main event featuring Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.
At the event, Trump was spotted backstage with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers also made a cameo during the preliminary fights. UFC 302 promised a night filled with exciting matchups, such as Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk and Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov.
The action kicked off at 6:30 p.m. ET for the preliminary fights, with the pay-per-view main card starting at 10 p.m. ET, making it a must-watch for fans of combat sports. For a comprehensive list of results and highlights from UFC 302, you can check out the official website.
