President Donald Trump wants to bring UFC to the White House. And not for another UFC Freedom 250.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was offering the job of White House press secretary to UFC President and CEO Dana White. In his post, the president also listed six fighters that he would like to join the White House staff as "assistants."
Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison were the fighters listed in the post. Trump pointed out that not all of them are from the United States, which is a requirement for some government positions, but he expressed belief in their championship mentality. Some of the fighters have expressed public support for the controversial
president.
"We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left," Trump wrote the weekend after national elections that were widely a victory for the Democratic Party. States like Kansas and Texas voted blue andAbdul El-Sayed became the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Senate after winning his seat in Michigan.
Here is a breakdown of the six fighters that Trump named in his post:
Islam Makhachev
- Current title: UFC welterweight champion, previous UFC lightweight champion
- Record: 29-1-0
- Age: 35
- Home country: Russia
- Connection to Trump: Asked Trump to be invited to UFC Freedom 250after winning the welterweight belt in 2025, saying "open the White House"
Islam Makhachev is the current UFC welterweight champion and is on a 17-fight win streak. The Russian fighter's lone loss came when he was knocked out by Adriano Martins in 2015 at UFC 192. He recently backed out of his defense fight, which was scheduled to happen in January at UFC 336. Fans have had their eyes on his next moves as he debates retirement at the wishes of his mother.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Current title: Retired, former UFC lightweight champion
- Record: 29-0-0
- Age: 38
- Home country: Russia
- Connection to Trump: Met Trump at UFC 302 and asked him to stop the war in Palestine
Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the most feared fighters of his time. His undefeated record included high-profile wins against Dustin Poirier, Rafael Dos Anjos and Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 after an emotional win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. The victory, which was a defense of his lightweight title, came after the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who himself was a well-respected fighter.
Justin Gaethje
- Current title: UFC lightweight champion
- Record: 28-5-0
- Age: 37
- Home country: United States
- Connection to Trump: Public supporter of Trump, Spoke at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Won UFC Freedom 250 at the White House
Justin Gaethje is a well-known supporter of President Donald Trump and has spoken several times about his conversations with the business mogul. The Tucson, Arizona native is the UFC lightweight champion after holding the interim title twice. He officially earned the undisputed belt in June when hebeat Ilia Topuria at the UFC Freedom 250 event. He has 21 knockout wins and has built his reputation as one of the more violent fighters in the sport.
Daniel Cormier
- Current title: Retired, former UFC light heavyweight champion, former UFC heavyweight champion
- Record: 22-3-0
- Age: 47
- Home country: United States
- Connection to Trump: Claimed he was hacked aftera post on his X account showed screenshots of a conversation with Eric Trump asking him for info to help him bet on UFC Freedom 250
Daniel Cormier had a historic UFC career. He was only the second fighter to hold two different titles simultaneously and competed in 14 title fights in his career. The Lafayette, Louisiana native racked up victories over Stipe Miocic, Anthony Johnson and Anderson Silva. He had a fierce rivalry with fellow UFC legend Jon Jones and failed to beat him. Cormier was also an Olympian who competed in wrestling and, even though his career has pivoted to commentating, he has maintained firm neutrality on politics.
Amanda Nunes
- Current title: None, former UFC women's bantamweight champion, former UFC women's featherweight champion
- Record: 23-5-0
- Age: 38
- Home country: Brazil
- Connection to Trump:Thanked Trumpafter he posted about a successful visit with the president-elect of Brazil in 2018.
Amanda Nunes is established as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. She hasn't fought in the UFC octagon since 2023 when she beat Irene Aldana at UFC 289 and announced her retirement. She will face current bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison at UFC 334 on Saturday, Nov. 14 for the belt. The Brazilian fighter was the only woman to hold two different titles at the same time when she held the bantamweight and featherweight titles. In one of her defense fights, she once famously knocked out Ronda Rousey in 48 seconds.
Kayla Harrison
- Current title: UFC women's bantamweight champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist
- Record: 19-1-0
- Age: 36
- Home country: United States
- Connection to Trump: Visited White House in 2025; Trump attended UFC 316 and congratulated her on winning the bantamweight title
Kayla Harrison (who Trump incorrectly called "Kayla Harris" in his post) is the UFC women's bantamweight champion and takes on Amanda Nunes on Saturday, Nov. 14 at UFC 334 to defend the belt. She won the title at UFC 316 in June 2025 after forcing Julianna Peña into submission. President Trump was in the audience and congratulated her after the fight. A few months later, the Middletown, Ohio native visited the White House as part of a UFC trip. Harrison is also an Olympian and has won two gold medals in judo: one at the London 2012 games and another at Rio 2016. She visited the president's home after both Olympics when Barack Obama was in office.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are the 'assistants' Donald Trump wants to aid Dana White
