Before he was the President, Donald Trump was already a fixture in the fight game. In the 1980s and ’90s, his Atlantic City casinos hosted some of the most iconic boxing nights in history. Mike Tyson later called them “nights of beauty,” and legendary announcer Michael Buffer once introduced Trump as “a man whose success in business epitomizes the American dream.”
Now in his second term as U.S. President at age 79, Trump still hasn’t let go of his passion for combat sports. He’s often said boxing is “more thrilling than opera or ballet,” but he’s also acknowledged its darker side. That balance came to light again when a clip from his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience resurfaced online, drawing fresh attention to his take on the dangers of boxing versus mixed martial arts.
In the viral moment from his lengthy conversation with Joe Rogan, Trump noted: “No UFC fighter, they say, has ever died, and it looks to me much more violent than boxing. Many boxers have died. Isn’t it interesting?”
The remark has once again put a spotlight on the long-running question: which sport is more dangerous, boxing or UFC?
Trump pointed to the punishing, repeated headshots in boxing – the kind that build over 12 rounds and often leave fighters with long-term brain damage. In contrast, he argued, UFC allows fights to end in different ways – grappling, submissions, shorter rounds – which may reduce the cumulative trauma.
Studies have supported that view. The British Medical Journal reported boxers face higher risks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) compared with MMA fighters, while a 2016 American Journal of Sports Medicine study found that while MMA fighters endure more superficial injuries like cuts and fractures, boxers often suffer more lasting neurological damage.
As Rogan explained during their conversation, UFC fights offer fighters multiple ways to protect themselves. “If you get hit in a UFC fight you can clinch, you can try to take the fight to the ground,” Rogan noted. In boxing, however, “you have 10 seconds to get up, you get up your head kind of clears but you’re still in real bad trouble and then you can kind of run away and survive until the bell rings…you’re getting repeated punishment to the head.”
Trump’s perspective isn’t just that of a fan. His ties to fight sports are personal – and historic. Back in 2001, when Dana White and the Fertitta brothers were fighting to keep the UFC alive, Trump stepped in. He opened the doors of his Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City to host UFC 30 and 31, giving the promotion a lifeline at a time when other venues turned them away.
“Trump saw it, he got it, and he stayed for the whole card,” White has said in interviews. That support helped the UFC stay afloat long enough to evolve into the global powerhouse it is today.
Even now, Trump maintains a close friendship with White and is a regular presence cageside. During their conversation, Trump praised White as “the greatest guy” and recalled how White unexpectedly flew back to introduce him at the Republican National Convention after initially saying he couldn’t make it due to family obligations.
The debate over which sport is more dangerous continues to evolve with new research. Weight cutting, particularly prevalent in lower weight classes in both sports, has been identified as a significant risk factor. When fighters dehydrate themselves to make weight, their brains are among the last organs to fully rehydrate, leaving them more vulnerable to brain injuries.
Trump’s observation about the lack of UFC deaths aligns with available data. While boxing has documented numerous in-ring fatalities over the decades, the UFC’s safety record tells a different story. The sport’s ability to end fights through submissions, ground control, and referee stoppages when fighters are clearly outmatched may contribute to this difference.
