UFC 319 will take place on August 16, 2025, at the United Center in Chicago, marking the UFC’s first return to the city since June 2019. The card is stacked, headlined by the middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis defending against undefeated powerhouse Khamzat Chimaev. Fans will also see Aaron Pico make his co-main event debut against Lerone Murphy, as well as noteworthy matches such as Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page and Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura.

While the fights themselves have garnered a lot of attention, another huge question surrounding UFC 319 is whether Donald Trump will make a visit. After all, Dana White‘s best buddy has a history of appearing cageside at UFC events. So, will the president be there? Well, Trump’s schedule looks far more complicated this time around.

Is Donald Trump attending UFC 319? The latest update

Trump was last spotted leaving Joint Base Andrews just a few hours ago after hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin for a highly anticipated summit on August 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting lasted over three hours, and both leaders called the discussions “productive.” Trump stated that “great progress” was made, while Putin characterized the summit as “timely and very useful.”

It was also Putin’s first visit to a Western land since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022. So, the president surely had his plate full, with barely enough time to even think about MMA. But now what about now? Is he available now? Unfortunately, Donald Trump is a very busy man this week.

Right after his talks with Vladimir Putin, Trump is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on August 18. Zelensky stated that he had a “long and substantive” call with Trump before the meeting and even proposed a trilateral peace summit with Putin. With such high-stakes diplomacy on his calendar, Trump’s chances of attending UFC 319 in Chicago are next to none. However, Donald Trump’s impact on UFC 319 may still be felt.

Did President Trump give Khamzat Chimaev a U.S. visa?

As we said, Donald Trump’s impact on UFC 319 may still be felt, even without him being present cageside. But how? Well, that’s because Khamzat Chimaev, who hasn’t fought in the United States since 2022, has recently praised the U.S. president for finally helping him secure his visa.

The Chechen-born fighter had been compelled to compete in Abu Dhabi for his last two bouts, with speculation that his close ties to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for human rights violations, were the reason. “This wasn’t my bad. This wasn’t my fault,” Chimaev explained.

“Everyone knows I didn’t have the visa to [travel to] the US. That’s why I didn’t fight only once [but twice] in Abu Dhabi. So now Donald Trump is here, we go for a fight.” Donald Trump’s friendship with UFC CEO Dana White helped smooth the route for him. White was a big supporter of Trump’s 2024 campaign, and Trump recently proposed hosting a UFC event at the White House to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.

Still, Chimaev insists on keeping politics at arm’s length. “I’m an athlete, a sportsman—all my life I’ve been training,” he told me. “Some people put me in a position like political and break my visa down, and I don’t know why. I’m just doing [it] for my family—fighting, training. Athletes don’t have to be with politics.”

But even if he tries to stay apolitical, there is no denying that the U.S. President managed to make an impact even without being present at the UFC 319 arena. With Dricus du Plessis making yet another title defense and Chimaev finally cleared to fight on American territory, UFC 319’s main event has both athletic and political implications, even though Trump won’t be in the building.