'Fight hard tonight Colby': Donald Trump issues good luck tweet to UFC star Covington

United States president Donald Trump, along with his eldest son, have sent motivational social media messages to MAGA-supporting UFC welterweight Colby Covington ahead of his UFC Newark main event clash with Robbie Lawler.

Ever since he emerged as a contender in the talent-rich UFC welterweight division, Covington has been a particularly vocal supporter of President Trump and is rarely seen without his red "Make America Great Again" baseball cap during media engagements and interviews. Indeed, his admiration for the "MAGA" movement helped take him all the way to the Oval Office itself.

Almost exactly a year ago Covington and UFC president Dana White visited the White House to meet with President Trump, where Covington posed for photographs with the US president, together with the UFC interim welterweight championship belt that Covington had been stripped of a week prior.

And now, ahead of Covington's world title eliminator with former champion Robbie Lawler, the US Head of State took to his favorite method of communication to issue a supportive war-cry.

"Fight hard tonight Colby. You are a real Champ!" Trump declared on Twitter, along with a "MAGA" hashtag. 

The Trump family's support extends to Trump's eldest sons too. Both Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric indicated that they would attend Saturday's event in Newark, New Jersey and both, along with Trump Jr's partner and Trump administration advisor Kimberly Guilfoyle, were spotted cageside from the beginning of the card.

Trump Jr. also joined his father in extending good luck wishes to Covington, tweeting an image which appears to show the pair backstage in the Prudential Center prior to Covington's fight.

Whether or not the endorsement from the Trump family will go down well with MMA fans remains to be seen, but Covington will certainly be hoping to surf the wave of support all the way to UFC gold.