Jon Jones got into the patriotic spirit after Saturday’s knockout win over Stipe Miocic with a special message for Donald Trump.
Jones and Trump shook hands and capped a fight night charged with politics as much as punches inside a raucous Madison Square Garden where ‘USA!’ chants echoed through the arena.
‘A big, big thank you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight,’ Jones said inside the cage before presenting Trump with the belt and imitating the President-elect’s curious robot dance. ‘I’m proud to be a great American champion. I’m proud to be a Christian-American champion.’
The mention of Jones’ faith struck a chord with the crowd, which grew louder in that moment.
It was also well received with Trump supporters online.
President-elect Donald Trump holds Jon Jones’ UFC heavyweight championship belt
Jon Jones kicks Stipe Miocic in the UFC heavyweight championship fight at MSG
‘An American Christian Champion!’ one woman wrote on X. ‘The tides are turning. God Bless America.’
Another fan added: ‘This is what a cultural counter revolution looks like. UFC fights and football games transforming into spontaneous Trump rallies. Amazing.’
Jones dominated at UFC’s fourth-highest grossing event of all time – topping $16.6 million – with Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration also in the house.
White later captioned a photo he posted on social media ‘the boys’ that featured him with Trump, Kid Rock and Musk. Trump pumped a fist during an occasional outbreak of ‘USA! USA!’ chants. He was flanked in his front-row seat by White on his right and Musk on his left and politely applauded the fight winners.
UFC fans wore red Trump hats and some waved flags emblazoned with his image during breaks in the action.
In a lightweight bout that made every fan from Kid Rock to Jordan Knight to Anthony Kiedis go wild at the finish in the fifth round, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler via unanimous decision. The fight was a rematch of their May 2021 fight when Charles Oliveira topped Chandler to win the lightweight title. Oliveira staked his claim to another title fight with the win
Trump is tight with White, a relationship that dates to UFC’s formative years before its rise into a billion-dollar promotion. New Jersey was one of the first states that embraced UFC and White has long credited fights at the Trump Taj Mahal for helping the company grow into a heavyweight in the sports world.
: Jon Jones of the United States of America reacts after his TKO victory against Stipe Miocic
Many online were happy to see Jon Jones refer to himself as a ‘Christian American’
The event ultimately felt like a patriotic rally, not unlike the one Trump held at MSG in October
President-elect Donald Trump, singer Kid Rock and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pose
White both spoke at Trump’s request at the Republican National Convention and appeared on stage at the election party.
UFC fighters spoke this week in New York with excitement about earning the chance to fight in front of Trump.
‘To see Dana up on stage at the election, I feel like that moment just elevated the whole sport,’ Jones said. ‘Americans, people from around the world were like, who’s the bald-headed dude talking? That represents all of us.’
Bo Nickal topped Paul Craig by unanimous decision in a welterweight fight, then crouched to speak to Trump.
‘I showed him my golf swing, asked him how it looked,’ Nickal said. ‘He said it needs work.’
Trump threw his arms open when he spotted UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan. Trump and Rogan embraced and shared a few words before the opening bout of the main card.
Trump sat ahead of the election for a three-hour interview on Rogan’s podcast. Rogan helped encourage on the podcast some of Trump’s false claims about voting, election fraud and his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Rogan endorsed Trump for president.
Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, and House Speaker Mike Johnson also attended.