MIAMI — The main attraction early at UFC 327 on Saturday night wasn’t any of the fighters, but President Donald Trump.

Trump entered the Kaseya Center shortly after 9 p.m. to watch the light heavyweight fight between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg. He was accompanied by Dana White, the president of Ultimate Fighting Championship, and several members of the Trump family.

As a Kid Rock song blasted from the speakers, Trump walked to his seat where Secretary of State Marco Rubio was waiting. Also nearby was Sergio Gor, the U.S. ambassador to India.

Trump shook hands with attendees on the floor and made a point of greeting Joe Rogan, the podcaster who also works as a UFC color commentator.

Trump gave several smiles to the cameras.

Earlier, on his way to the arena, Trump’s Truth Social account posted an advertisement that appeared to be for a UFC fight at the White House on June 14, on what would be Trump’s 80th birthday.

A crowd of onlookers could be seen filming the presidential motorcade upon arrival.

With former champion Alex Pereira vacating the belt to move up and challenge for the interim heavyweight crown at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, Ulberg (14-1-0) earned his spot across Prochazka (32-5-1) in the main event of Saturday’s card.

In the co-main event, Azamat Murzakanov (17-0-0) used a right roundhouse to the head to drop Paulo Costa (15-5-0) and end the bout at the 1:23 mark of the third round.

Murzakanov stepped onto the apron of the Octagon after his victory to shake Trump’s hand, and the president praised him. Murzakanov acknowledged Trump during his post-fight interview with Rogan.

Josh Hokit (9-0-0) and Curtis Blaydes (19-6-0) battered each other in the slugfest of the night, with Trump excitedly watching the heavyweights as fans chanted “This is awesome!” as the fighters bloodied each other’s faces. Hokit won by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

In a light heavyweight clash, Dominick Reyes (16-5-0) defeated Johnny Walker (22-10-0) with a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Featherweight Cub Swanson (32-14-0) ended a celebrated career with a devastating first-round TKO of Nate Landwehr (18-9-0). The 42-year-old Swanson overmatched Landwehr with a bevy of punches to the head before referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight with 54 seconds left in the opening round.

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AP MMA:

WASHINGTON — Cage-match fighting is coming to the White House to fete President Donald Trump, a proud proponent of cage-match politics.

In the coming weeks, crews will erect a 6-foot wire-mesh fence shaped into an octagon on the lawn, where UFC fighters will use a combination of kickboxing, jiujitsu, wrestling and other martial arts in a June 14 mixed martial arts show timed for Trump’s 80th birthday and as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The celebration of bloody, brute force dovetails with Trump’s gleefully combative charisma and extreme ideological masculinity — a brawling, no-holds-barred approach to the highest office in the land.

“I have respect for fighters, you know, when you can take 200 shots to the face and then look forward to the second round,” Trump told podcaster Logan Paul as he campaigned for his second term.

Trump was the first sitting president to attend a UFC show, taking in a 2019 fight that was stopped because of a cut over the loser’s eye that left blood pouring down the fighter’s face.

To the uninitiated, the sport celebrates violence. It is wildly popular with young men.

“A lot of people don’t understand fighting and they think fighting is about anger. It’s not. If you’re angry when you fight, you’ll lose,” said veteran MMA referee and commentator “Big John” McCarthy.

“Fighting is about technique and style, and understanding how to make your opponent make mistakes while you don’t,” McCarthy said.

“I totally understand why he likes it,” he added of Trump. “Because I do.”

It is hard to find a phrase more Trumpian than Ultimate Fighting Championship.

A committed devotee of hyperbole, Trump relishes grand descriptors that can elevate anything to its “ultimate” version. He also proudly fancies himself a fighter: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” became his 2024 campaign mantra, one crystalized after an assassination attempt that summer.

Then there is “championship,” another thing close to the heart of a president who constantly professes love for winning and those who do it frequently.

All of that means Trump giving UFC its largest-ever platform “is calculated. He knows what he’s doing,” said Kyle Kusz, a University of Rhode Island professor who studies the connection between sports and the far right.

Trump “uses UFC to portray himself as a manly sportsman,” said Kusz, who said he sees parallels between the sport’s style of masculinity and Trump’s approach to policy and politics.

The league is planning to issue 85,000 free tickets for the event. Trump said UFC boss Dana White, a longtime friend, will build “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House” and eight large screens in a nearby park for ticket-holders to watch from afar.

The show falls on a Sunday, deviating from UFC’s usual Saturday night time slot, and will be carried live on Paramount+, which is controlled by the Ellison family, also close allies of Trump. France even pushed back the Group of Seven summit it is hosting so as not to conflict with Trump’s birthday festivities.

Trump has boasted that the event will feature “all top guys.” But fans online have panned the card for lacking top talent such as former two-division champion Jon Jones, who requested his release from the UFC immediately after being excluded from the White House show. Also absent is MMA icon Conor McGregor, whose first bout since 2021 would have been a seismic moment for the sport. The UFC’s White “knows the White House card sucks,” said former champion Ronda Rousey, who is mounting her own MMA comeback outside the UFC because she says the promotion would not meet her financial expectations.

Rousey, who is close to White, says the White House show “fell extremely short of expectations.”

While still being finalized, the card features two championship fights. Brazil’s Alex Periera will meet France’s Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Then Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje, one of just two Americans who currently hold even a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.

The White House did not answer questions about criticism of the card or the event’s aggressive politics. Instead, communications director Steven Cheung, said, “This will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history.”

Cheung, a UFC spokesman before joining Trump’s 2016 campaign, called Trump’s event “a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary.”

A UFC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Once famously derided as “human cockfighting” by late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., UFC has been a major sports league in the United States since signing a media-rights deal with ESPN in 2018, said Patrick Wyman, a historian and host of popular podcasts on the subject who is also a former longtime MMA journalist.

Trump, a fixture at heavyweight boxing matches in the 1980s, gave UFC a boost a generation ago by hosting early bouts, including 2001’s “Battle on the Boardwalk,” at his casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Wyman said that even as Trump and White have remained close, UFC has deliberately prioritized building the league’s brand over that of its individual fighters. That has kept most stars from achieving crossover appeal.

As a result, Wyman said UFC remains most popular with men in their mid-40s to early 60s — a demographic already inclined to be Trump supporters.

“I think it’s a pretty perfect encapsulation of the way that Donald Trump thinks about politics,” Wyman said of the White House event, citing its “transactional nature” and “how impossible it is to draw firm lines between business and politics.”

In 2014, Trump invested in his own, short-lived MMA league. A decade later, his reelection campaign enhanced his UFC ties, seeking to reach voters who do not usually engage in traditional politics.

Two days after he was convicted on 34 felony counts in a hush money case in June 2024, Trump went to a UFC bout in New Jersey, strolling out into the crowd with White while Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass” blared. Trump’s campaign used footage of the raucous ovation to help launch its TikTok account.

Then, after his election victory, Trump triumphantly appeared with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and a large political entourage at a UFC fight in New York. He also attended UFC bouts in Newark and Miami last year.

Trump, who has built a large portion of his domestic travel around sporting events, is not unique among presidents using sports to appeal to voters.

Republican George W. Bush zinging a pitch in from Yankee Stadium’s mound during the 2001 World Series is remembered as a moment of resilience after the Sept. 11 attacks. Republican Richard Nixon so publicly embraced his football fandom that aides worried it might alienate some voters, said Chris Cillizza, author of “Power Players: Sports, Politics, and the American Presidency.”

Such worries are gone today, though, since sports “now tends to self-select by political affiliation,” he said.

“In an era where people feel like politicians are mostly weirdo aliens,” Cillizza said “sports — playing them, having knowledge about them — represents one of the best ways to prove to voters you are actually a human being.”

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Associated Press writers Greg Beacham in Los Angeles and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

Mexican mixed martial artist David Martinez is twenty-seven years old and in his own words he is “new blood” in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – an American mixed martial arts promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada and hands-down the most popular and largest MMA promotion company in the world with about 580 contracted mixed martial artists across twelve weight divisions.

But this Sunday (March 1) Martinez will be up against someone who he himself has called a “legend” –thirty-three year old Ecuadorian, Marlon “Chito” Vera.

Vera, a proponent of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is a former title challenger and will take on Martinez (who is nicknamed “doctor” because he studied medicine at the University of Mexico) in the co-main event of UFC Mexico City, inside Arena CDMX in Mexico – Martinez’s home country. The Mexican is just two fights into his UFC career but is already being talked about as a fighter to watch out for in the Bantamweight division (up to 135 pounds), but “Chito” Vera will be a very tough opponent. In an interview with Yahoo Sports recently, Martinez said, “I need to fight with heart because he (Vera) is a very strong opponent…enjoy the fight; that’s it. I am ready for three, five, or 10 rounds with Chito Vera.”

Martinez knows he has to be at his best, but on paper Vera is the underdog and, according to reports, this is a must-win fight for the Ecuadorian if he is to prevent “a total career freefall”, considering he is currently on a three-fight losing streak. Interestingly, Vera is ranked ninth in the Bantamweight Division of the UFC, while Martinez is just behind him at number 10. A win for the Mexican youngster would see him leapfrog Vera in the rankings and potentially push the 33-year-old, who has been called one of the division’s most dangerous fighters in the past and according to Martinez himself is “a legend in Latin America, a legend in Mexico too..”, outside the top 15.

Bantamweights 🫡@chitoveraUFC vs David Martinez

[ SAT FEB 28 | 8pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/TEhJzESCLz

— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2026

It will be Brazilian jiu-jitsu vs Kyokushin karate and kickboxing in a classic North America vs South America clash that will see MMA fans across Latin America tuning in to watch what is expected to be a classic contest between the old and the new. While Martinez would want to stamp his authority on the Division, Vera will be looking to send out a loud and clear message – that he still has what it takes to dominate.

MMA and the UFC fights are very popular in India with a diverse viewership base. Interestingly, according to reports, women make up about 41 per cent of the MMA watching audience in India. Over the years the success that Indian MMA fighters like Bharat Khandare (first Indian-born UFC fighter), Arjan Bhullar, and Anshul Jubli have tasted in the UFC has further fuelled MMA viewership and support in India. MMA is said to be growing rapidly in certain Indian geographical pockets, including, predominantly the North East. Many Indian fans will be excited about this upcoming clash between Vera and Martinez.

And ahead of this mega clash, Marlon “Chito” Vera spoke exclusively with Firstpost from Mexico about his mental state ahead of this match-up, his MMA journey, advice for budding Indian MMA athletes who want to compete in the UFC some day and much more.

Firstpost: First up, can you tell us how old were you when you first realized that you were drawn to martial arts? What exactly was the attraction as a youngster for you to enter this world?

Marlon Vera: I was 16 years old when I started training in jiu-jitsu. I started training after watching the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and I just dreamed of being a UFC fighter.

FP: You hail from Ecuador. Does the country have a rich history of martial arts? What or who were your early influences?

MV: Honestly, no. Ecuador has no martial arts history at all. But the jiu-jitsu community is very big, So, when I started training, I went to a jiu-jitsu academy and I fell in love with the sport right away and I just wanted to learn how to grapple and then eventually learn how to fight.

My early influences in fighting would be GSP (Georges St-Pierre – three-time former UFC Welterweight champion) and Jon Jones (Jonathan Dwight Jones – an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed from 2008 to 2024 and is one of only eleven fighters who have won UFC championship titles in two different weight classes).

FP: Can you tell us what about Brazilian jui-jitsu fascinated you the most?

MV: I mean, I think the fact that if you are on the ground and you have to defend yourself against anyone who might have experience of street (fighting), you’re going to be able to beat anyone (if you know jiu-jitsu).

FP: How long did it take you to master this martial art and receive your black belt?

MV: It took me I would say around eight to nine years. But you know you never finish mastering the process. You always keep getting better at doing (these) things.

FP: What would you say are your biggest strengths as an MMA fighter? Things that you think set you apart from others in the ring?

MV: I would say the mental mindset, the belief in myself and the hard work.

FP: So, you are currently ranked ninth in the UFC Bantamweight rankings. You’ve been hailed in the past as being one of the division’s most dangerous fighters. What are your realistic goals for the next one-year cycle?

MV: My goal is to win my next fight. I’m training very hard to get it done and I’m excited to be able to compete here in Mexico.

FP: Talking about your next fight – it is on March 1st in Mexico against David Martinez – who is just behind you in the bantamweight rankings as number 10, and holds black belts in Kyokushin karate and kickboxing. He’s also six years younger to you. What is the strategy for the fight and what are you targeting the most?

MV: I feel like I have to put him (David Martinez) under pressure. That karate style can be broken by pressure and a lot of combination with power.

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FP: You had spoken earlier about how you spent the one year away from the ring from 2024 to 2025, sharpening your grappling and wrestling skills and also focusing on starting fights faster. As things stand right now, do you feel stronger in those areas?

MV: I’m very prepared and I’m excited for this challenge.

FP: So far in your career, which has been your most memorable bout? Against whom and why?

MV: I think it has to be when I fought for the title. That was the biggest fight of my career and it was the biggest challenge of my career. So, I will say that that’s the biggest one and the one that gave me a great experience in challenging for a world title.

FP: Now, a number of martial artists from India have competed in the UFC over the years and popularity of UFC and MMA has grown a lot here. What would be your advice to Indian youngsters who have just started their MMA journey and dream of someday competing in the UFC?

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MV: Hard work, dedication, stay away from distractions, and there has to be a lot of focus and a lot of discipline.

FP: Can you tell us who gave you the nickname Chito and what does it mean?

MV: It’s something that my mom called me since I was a kid so I’ve been called that my whole life.

FP: You made your UFC debut in 2014 and from there on till now you have a 23-11 win-loss record. Overall, for you what has the journey been like and what does it mean for you to be an MMA superstar?

MV: I mean it’s been it’s been a long great journey. It’s been a lot of hard work. Lots of ups and downs, but I’m just grateful to be able to do what I love. And for me to be still loving the sport is something amazing. So, I’m just going to keep going, push myself hard and when it’s time to fight, fight very hard.

FP: Can you tell us what is the most interesting or memorable fan interaction you have had so far? Any experience with a fan or group of fans that you will always remember?

MV: I feel like every time I’m going through places and you know people show you love and show you appreciation, it’s something very great for me. So, I’m just happy about the love that I get from people.

FP: You’ve been part of the cast as a member of the Ultimate Fighter Latin America. Tell us what that experience was like. What new things did you learn as a part of that show?

MV: The Ultimate Fighter was a good experience. It’s hard because you stay away from everybody, but it’s something that shows you where you can go. And it’s a great opportunity to become part of the company. So, I’m happy I was able to experience that.

FP: Lastly, how often do you get to go back to your home city of Chone in Ecuador?

MV: I try to go at least once a year or when I have to go for work, but I try to go often.

Watch Moreno vs Kavanagh on 1st March, 2026 from 6:30 AM IST live on the Sony Sports Network.

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