The battle between Washington D.C. and Donald Trump is starting to resemble the clashes of ancient Rome, with Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC) President Dana White and a cadre of other UFC gladiators publicly defending the besieged former president.
White was asked about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) raid on Mar-a-Lago during a press conference Tuesday, and though his response was guarded, it was clear where he stood.
“Some people have mentioned that we now live in a Post-Constitutional America or a banana republic,” a reporter asked about the raid.
“There’s ten other people’s houses that should have been raided before his that haven’t happened. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out,” White responded, adding he would “will talk to [Trump] in the next couple days,” about the raid.
UFC’s @DanaWhite on FBI raid of Mar-A-Lago:
“I can think of about…10 other people’s houses that probably should’ve been raided before his that haven’t happened.”
— Benny Johnson 🍊 (@bennyjohnson) August 10, 2022
Multiple other Prominent MMA fighters also voiced their opposition to the state’s actions, with some drawing parallels to what goes on in totalitarian regimes.
“Sad day in the USA today. These are the tactics of Cuba and Venezuela. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, this ain’t right #LoveUSA,” tweeted fan favorite MMA superstar Jorge Masvidal, who is part Cuban.
Sad day in the USA today. These are the tactics of Cuba and Venezuela. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, this ain’t right #loveUSA
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) August 9, 2022
Long time UFC superstar Jake Shields compared the raid to political oppression in China, stating “I remember always hearing about how China would censor and of arrest Their political dissidents Sound familiar?”
He also joked that the FBI’s would send “30 agents to raid a political enemies house” but not investigate a potential mass shooter.
I remember always hearing about how China would censor and of arrest Their political dissidents
Sound familiar?
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) August 9, 2022
The FBI will send 30 agents to raid a political enemies house but not a single agent to investigate a mass shooter
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) August 9, 2022
Middleweight Ian Heinisch also expressed his judgment of the establishment, tweeting “The powers that are in charge are very corrupt! #greed #weneedchange #Godsplan #trustintheLord.”
He also supported other comments highly critical of the raids, including a retweet of a post from Conservative activist Candace Owens.
The powers that are in charge are very corrupt! #greed #weneedchange #Godsplan #trustintheLord
— Ian Heinisch (@ianheinischmma) August 9, 2022
Facts!
— Ian Heinisch (@ianheinischmma) August 9, 2022
UFC fighter Dustin Jacoby retweeted a post from Liz Wheeler that named others she thinks the FBI neglected to investigate, including those associated “with Jeffrey Epstein, Hillary Clinton, Hunter Biden, and Rep. Swalwell for sleeping with a Chinese spy.”
— Dustin Jacoby (@thehanyakdj) August 9, 2022
UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz expressed his views by sharing a screenshot of the former President’s Twitter account from December 2019 with a black and white photo of President Trump looking and pointing directly at the viewer.
“In reality, they’re not after me, they’re after you,” the photo reads. (RELATED: ROLLINS: The FBI’s Raid On Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Home Has Put America On A Very Dangerous Path)
Wake up #America pic.twitter.com/yqATnjtYPN
— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) August 9, 2022
As the nation’s political conflicts continue to spill outside the walls of government institutions and warriors take sides, it’s starting to take on shades of Spartacus. Trump and White surely want a different end than the one met by history’s most famous gladiator, but only time will tell.