US president Donald Trump is understood to be considering attending UFC 244 this weekend in his home city but how will he be received by the crowd just days after being booed by fans during game five of the World Series.
The fiercely divisive New Yorker is currently in full-on deflection mode due to the impeachment inquiry currently his administration is currently mired in. But he could be letting off some steam in the mecca of the fight game this weekend after reports emerged suggesting he is in line to attend the much-hyped clash between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal.
Also on rt.com Cacophony of boos & ‘lock him up’ chants erupt at baseball World Series after Trump appears on TV screenA tweet from Annie Karni, White House correspondent for the New York Times, cited "sources" in stating that Trump is currently in line to attend the fight card in the latest move which ties his administration to the UFC.
Trump has long held an affinity for mixed martial arts dating back more than a decade to when he partnered with the now-defunct Affliction fight promotion who held events at his properties. More recently, his presidential counterpart in the UFC, Dana White, was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in 2016 prior to Trump's election.
Furthermore, the UFC's resident MAGA supporter Colby Covington has been a vocal admirer of the president and was even invited to the Oval Office for an audience with Trump while his sons Donald Jr. and Eric were cageside for Covington's most recent fight against Robbie Lawler in August.
If Trump does attend it will be second sporting occasion he will have been spotted at within a week and comes after he was booed by the capacity crowd during game five of the World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros.
Whether or not he will receive the same treatment from the MMA community remains to be seen but one suspects that the associated traffic congestion which chokes the city any time there is a Trump visit might not be thought off too fondly by the city's notoriously forthright populace.
Also on rt.com 'Fight hard tonight Colby': Donald Trump issues good luck tweet to UFC star Covington