UFC CEO Dana White sat down with NPR for an interview, where he discussed the upcoming White House card. The conversation eventually shifted toward immigration, particularly because White is staging the event for his close friend and longtime supporter, President Donald Trump.
The interviewer pointed out what appeared to be a contradiction between Trump’s hardline immigration policies and the UFC’s roster, which includes several immigrant athlete such as champion Ilia Topuria, whose family fled the Republic of Georgia as refugees.
White rejected that characterization.
“That’s not necessarily true either,” he said. “What the president wants is what everybody has talked about, including the Democrats back in the day. You have to get documented the right way.”
White argued that the issue was about legal process rather than opposition to immigrants themselves.
“There’s a lot of people waiting in line to get green cards in this country,” he said. “The borders have been open for the last four years and lots of crim inals came in here, lots of bad people. They got them out first. I don’t think the president has ever said he doesn’t want people from other countries coming.”
The interviewer pushed back, noting that during Trump’s second term, some individuals with legal immigration status had their status revoked, while certain refugees were ordered to leave the country.
Earlier in the interview, White spoke enthusiastically about the UFC as a reflection of America’s immigrant identity.
“No matter what country you come from, what color you are, what language you speak, we’re all human beings,” White said. “Figh ting is in our DNA. We get it and we like it.”
He added that he intentionally avoided framing the White House event as an “America versus the world” card because of the UFC’s international makeup.
“America is a country of immigrants that all came from somewhere else and they’re all going to be represented,” he said.
Later in the conversation, the reporter mentioned that a retired athlete had recently contacted White over immigration issues involving his wife. White admitted there was little he could do personally.
“I don’t think I can help,” he said, adding that he did not contact Trump on the athlete’s behalf.
White did, however, recall one situation where Trump intervened in what he described as an immigration-adjacent matter. According to White, an athlete’s wife had been arrested in Russia after donating $15 to Ukraine, prompting him to reach out directly to Trump.
“President Trump, I called him and he got her out,” White said, suggesting Trump personally contacted Vladimir Putin to help secure her release.
