The UFC emerged in 1993, and through its work in the last years of the 90s as well as the early part of the 2000s, it emerged as an alternative combat sport to well-established boxing. The sport offered fans the opportunity to witness a fight where the combatants could do more than merely punch their opponent. As a result, some fans view it to be superior to boxing. Current US President Donald Trump shares this opinion too.

In 2009, the then-Trump organization chairman was associated with the now-defunct Affliction MMA. In a chat with then FanHouse.com reporter Ariel Helwani, Donald Trump responded to being put on the spot and asked if one sport had surpassed the other. 

As per the video on Ariel Helwani’s YouTube, he said, “Well I really do, I think it’s pretty obvious. You look at boxing matches and there’s still some good ones, but overall MMA is the place to be.” 

In the interview, when speaking about the first two Affliction MMA events, he said he wouldn’t want to change anything. Trump reasons, “You have the greatest fighters, and you just let them go at it. There’s nothing artificial, there’s nothing you have to change.” 

MMA purists will agree that these words hold true even today. This is because the fights are intense with any attack coming at any time. Furthermore, there are so many big names in the UFC and other MMA organizations that one does not miss a single particular fighter despite them fighting only a handful of times a year. 

Affliction MMA held two events in 2009 and had plans to hold a third event too. However, they scrapped it and folded following main event fighter Josh Barnett testing positive for a banned substance. 

Donald Trump has been a great supporter of the UFC

Despite the setback, Trump still remains an avid supporter of MMA and the UFC in particular. The US President aired a congratulatory video to the promotion ahead of their return to live-action with the UFC 249 PPV in Jacksonville. 

“We Want Our Sports Back” – Donald Trump Congratulates Dana White on UFC’s Return

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Trump believed in the UFC when they struggled to find venues in the early days. He even permitted the then-fledgling organization to host events in his casinos. The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City has played host to a multitude of UFC events, most notably UFC 30. 

What did you make of Donald Trump’s statements of rating MMA ahead of boxing all the way back in 2009?

Sources: Ariel Helwani YouTube, Scrap Digest, MMA Junkie