Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC lightweight champion, returned to appear before fans of the competition on Saturday (1/6/2024) evening New Jersey time (Sunday afternoon WIB).
He was present to accompany Islam Makhachev who won against Dustin Poirier in the main event of the 302nd edition of UFC.
After witnessing the victory via submission, the former UFC Lightweight champion then took the time to speak with Donald Trump, the candidate for President of the United States (US), who was also present to watch the match.
According to The Independent, when shaking Trump's hand, Khabib was caught asking the US presidential candidate to stop Israel's war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, if elected in the next election.
“I know you will stop the war in Palestine,” Khabib told Trump.
Trump also answered that they would stop the war. “We will stop it. "I will stop the war (in the Gaza Strip)," said Trump in response to Khabib who shook his hand.
The conversation between the two then spread to the mass media, considering that Trump had previously openly supported Israel's war against Hamas and stated that he would crack down on pro-Palestinian protests and deport the protesters from the United States.
Trump himself has been a regular visitor to the wrestling event and received special treatment from UFC President Dana White. When Trump came to power, the UFC and Dana White approached him to gain influence through his administration, and succeeded.
The promotion ended up having direct access to people in the State Department, which helped them solve various international problems.
Now, the UFC is returning the favor as Trump faces difficult times. The Republican candidate for the 2024 US Election has just been found guilty of 34 counts of fraud and faces the possibility of prison time at his sentencing on July 11, 2024.
Despite all the bad news, Trump's popularity does not appear to be waning, as evidenced by the rapturous reception from MMA fans in Newark, N.J., on Saturday night. There were lots of shouts of support from the audience.
Now, Khabib is using Trump's presence at UFC events to push for an end to the war in the Middle East. MMA has become a strange vector in the world of politics, something extraordinary considering that a decade ago, no politician would touch it.