Trump plans to attend UFC fight at Madison Square Garden, sources say

By Steve Holland

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump was set to travel to New York City on Saturday for what sources said were plans to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at Madison Square Garden.

It will be the second time Trump has left the Palm Beach, Florida, area since winning the presidential election on Nov. 5.

The 78-year-old Republican flew to Washington last Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House, and has otherwise been filling Cabinet positions for his incoming administration from his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

The Trump transition team would not say where Trump was going on Saturday, but two sources familiar with his movements said he planned to attend the UFC event at Madison Square Garden, where he held a controversial campaign rally on Oct. 27.

Known by some in the mixed martial arts world as the “Combatant in Chief,” Trump counts UFC President Dana White as a close friend and considers fans of the sport part of his political base.

Saturday’s headline event in the octagon at UFC 309 is a battle for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Daniel Wallis)