Overview
- President Donald Trump, who sat cageside with UFC CEO Dana White at UFC 327 in Miami on Saturday, drew loud attention with a high-profile appearance.
- After Paulo Costa’s third-round head-kick knockout of Azamat Murzakanov, Costa met Trump at the fence, and video captured Trump telling him he was “too good looking to be a fighter,” a clip Costa later called partly personal.
- Dana White said Trump asked why Derrick Lewis was not on the planned White House event, and White then phoned Lewis and booked Lewis vs. Josh Hokit for June 14 on the South Lawn.
- Hokit accepted the matchup shortly after defeating Curtis Blaydes, with White recounting that the agreement came as Hokit was headed to the hospital, and Lewis thanked Trump for the opportunity.
- The June 14 card ties to America250 and Trump’s 80th birthday, with outlets listing title fights such as Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, even as coverage split between reporting the booking and criticizing the optics during Vice President J.D. Vance’s announcement that Iran talks had failed.