During the UFC Vegas 123 broadcast, viewers saw a political advertisement featuring President Donald Trump making an extraordinary claim: if Republicans win both the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, he would provide $5,000 to every adult American citizen.
“If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I’m going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000,” Trump stated in the ad. “And Republicans can do it, and Democrats can’t.”
The advertisement which aired during the live event, portrayed the payment as financially feasible due to what Trump described as record economic performance and tariff revenue. He contrasted this promise with warnings about Democratic policies, claiming they would lead to tax increases and economic collapse.
“If the Democrats win, you will have an economic depression much like 1929,” Trump said in the ad. “If the Republicans win, you will each have $5,000 in your pocket and economic success for our country like we have never, ever seen before.”
Trump referenced a previous payment to military members as precedent, stating he had given service personnel $1,776 each. He characterized the proposed $5,000 payment as part of a “Trump dividend” that would be easy to implement given current economic conditions.
🚨This is insane 💥💥💥
🇺🇸⚡️A federal judge in SDNY just ordered that this video of Trump offering $5000 if Republicans win the elections had to be DELETED 💎💎
It would sure be a shame if we all made it go viral again!🔥 https://t.co/EymEATDVU8
— BBWARRIORS (@JoshRhodes30g) November 1, 2026
The appearance of this advertisement adds to ongoing debates about the UFC’s relationship with partisan politics. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently addressed accusations that covering the political dimensions of UFC events represents activist bias rather than legitimate reporting.
“It’s patently absurd to just go lalala, this has nothing to do with politics,” Helwani said on The Ariel Helwani Show. He pointed to the upcoming White House card, scheduled for a Sunday night coinciding with Trump’s birthday, as an example where political context cannot be separated from the event itself.
Helwani specifically challenged UFC President Dana White’s public stance that these connections are not political in nature.
“Dana White has convinced you and tricked you into thinking that none of this is political,” Helwani argued. “Him speaking at the convention is not political? He’s tricked you into thinking that. By virtue of you standing there, it is a political statement that you are making.”
While emphasizing he was not judging White’s choices, Helwani insisted on acknowledging their political character. “I’m not saying it’s good or bad,” he clarified. “He’s allowed to go out as an owner of a sports league and do whatever he wants. But don’t insult us by saying that’s not political.”
The UFC Vegas 123 ad was not an isolated incident. During UFC Edmonton’s broadcast on Paramount Plus, viewers encountered repeated advertisements from MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump. Those spots criticized Democratic lawmakers over tax policy votes, claiming Democrats opposed eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits.
MMA analyst Luke Thomas has documented what he views as a broader pattern. “When I first began to discuss the idea that MMA was extremely right-wing to the point where it had become a vector for right-wing politics, I was met with fierce and angry blowback,” Thomas said in his video.
He noted the progression from initial skepticism to a present situation where “literally a super PAC that supports the president but by law is not run by him is running essentially get out the vote ads to the portion of the electorate that the UFC helped hand to Donald Trump.”
Thomas pointed out that the Democratic votes referenced in the MAGA Inc. ads occurred because “the bill in the end had giveaways to the rich and then cuts to Medicare and then food aid,” rather than opposition to the underlying policies themselves.
The ties between the UFC and the Trump administration extend across multiple dimensions. Trump owns TKO stock, the company that owns UFC. The organization is preparing to hold an event at the White House. The State Department has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UFC for international events. FBI Director Kash Patel proposed a no-bid contract for the UFC to train FBI recruits.
Thomas has directed his commentary specifically toward regulators and policymakers rather than MMA fans. “This video is not for them,” he stated. “My message is for the outside world to pay attention to what is happening here.” He advocates for increased regulatory scrutiny and structural changes to reduce what he characterizes as concentrated power being deployed for political purposes.
