Not long ago, Donald Trump turned the South Lawn of the White House into a venue for UFC, cementing a friendship between his administration and the promotion that has only grown closer since. Now that relationship is about to take an unusual turn inside one of the country’s most important law enforcement agencies.
The FBI is moving to award UFC a one-year contract to train special agents in hand-to-hand combat, and the bureau wants to do it without opening the process to competing bidders. According to an agency document released in September 2026, the FBI intends to issue what’s known as a sole-source contract, a designation reserved for situations where officials believe only one vendor can meet the government’s needs.
In this case, that vendor is UFC. The document frames the organization as uniquely qualified to lead the instruction, pointing to its background in striking techniques, grappling and takedowns, weapon defense and ground control, along with conditioning to the standard the FBI expects and requires. The program itself is being described internally as defense tactical techniques, with a stated goal of sharpening agents both physically and mentally. As the document puts it:
“The purpose of the training is to enhance physical combat abilities, mental toughness, and tactical awareness, which are crucial for special agents in high-risk situations.”
What the contract would actually cost taxpayers isn’t clear. The dollar figure in the document was redacted before release, leaving the public in the dark about the size of the deal even as the FBI makes its case for skipping competition altogether.
That’s the part drawing the sharpest scrutiny. NBC News justice and intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian, appearing on MSNBC, pushed back hard on the idea that UFC stands alone in this field:
“A quick Google search showed me that there are at least four or five firms out there that do this kind of work. That’s the real outrage here. That’s what’s getting a lot of attention.”
Ken Dilanian noted that federal contracts are generally supposed to go through competitive bidding, giving multiple firms a chance to make their case. Bypassing that process, he argued, raises questions about how this particular arrangement came together. He pointed to the already well-documented closeness between FBI Director Kash Patel and UFC president Dana White. Kash Patel, he said, has attended three UFC events during his tenure, and the two have discussed bringing the organization into the bureau’s training pipeline since early in his time as director. The FBI even hosted a preview of that collaboration before any contract was on the table.
He said:
“There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but it suggests that there was a sense that this thing was precooked, that essentially they decided they wanted to award the contract to UFC and then they issued this sole source justification. That is not how it’s supposed to work as a legal matter.”
He added that it remains to be seen whether a competing vendor will formally challenge the decision.
Ken Dilanian also raised doubts about whether the expertise of UFC actually lines up with what federal agents need:
“I’m talking to people who say UFC is not the most qualified entity to do this kind of training. This is not what they’re about. There are other companies that specifically give law enforcement training in defensive tactics and grappling and all that kind of stuff. And UFC has never really done this.”
The groundwork for this moment was laid back in March 2026, when UFC announced that current and former athletes would travel to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, for a two-day seminar. That session brought in Special Agent Academy students along with senior FBI staff from multiple countries, and it gave Kash Patel an early opportunity to publicly champion the partnership. He said at the time:
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our FBI agents to learn and train with some of the greatest athletes on earth, helping the world’s premier law enforcement agency be even better prepared to protect the American people.”
Kash Patel didn’t stop there, extending his praise directly to the organization’s leadership:
“Dana White has changed the game in the mixed martial arts industry and we’re extremely honored to be partnered with him, the professionals, and the UFC. We are grateful for their shared love of our nation, so that we can better defend her.”
The FBI has tried to get ahead of concerns about the lack of competition by framing the one-year term as a bridge rather than a destination. According to the agency document, the shorter window will allow for more market research and give vendors time to become better equipped to handle the requirement. Officials also committed to a different approach down the road, stating plainly:
“The long-term contract that will be created in the future will be done so on a competitive basis.”
