Donald Trump Gives Clarity on Dana White’s Role in Helping Free American Ballerina Held Prisoner in Russia

You know the Russian-American ballerina, Ksenia Karelina, who was released from Russian prison on April 10? Karelian was arrested in January last year and was sentenced to 12 years in prison on the back of donating $51 to a charity that allegedly supported Ukraine. But do you know who was responsible in large part for getting her freed? Surprisingly, it was UFC CEO Dana White, who, of course, is very good friends with President Donald Trump.

“I appreciate the ballerina who was released at the request of a very good friend of all of ours. Dana White called me and he said it’s the friend or the relationship of one of the UFC fighters. We spoke to President Putin about it, and they made a deal. They released the young ballerina, and she is now out, and that was good. So we appreciate that. We hope that we’re going to be able to make a deal relatively soon with Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting,” the President said in a cabinet meeting.

The President, however, is mistaken on one count. Karelina is not friends or has any ‘relationship’ with any UFC fighters. The amateur ballerina was in a relationship with South African boxer and former IBO welterweight champion, Chris Van Heerden. So if it wasn’t one of the UFC guys, how did the UFC CEO get involved at all?

Well, it turns out, Heerden knows the right people. According to CNN, the South African of Dutch ancestry is at the same gym where Hollywood director and producer, Peter Berg also trains. It seems Van Heerden talked to the director, who in turn is friends with Dana White. The Las Vegas resident then took the case up to the UFC CEO, who brought it up to Donald Trump.

The President and his team were able to negotiate the amateur ballerina and receptionist’s return in a prisoner swap. According to reports, the Trump administration traded a Russian-German accused smuggler for Karelina. The Ballerina reached the States on a flight on April 10 itself. And her boyfriend, as you can imagine, is very thankful to Dana White.

Ksenia Karelina’s boyfriend thanks Dana White for helping secure her release

“Had the pleasure of being on the @megynkellyshow advocating for the release of @angels_city_girl Ksenia, who is imprisoned wrongfully in RUSSIA. Thank you @pberg44 & @danawhite for being in this fight with me,” Van Heerden posted on his Instagram account, along with a video of him being interviewed by conservative political commentator, Megyn Kelly two days ago.

Indeed, Karelina’s release is just another example of how close Dana White and Donald Trump really are. The UFC CEO, of course, is forever grateful to the former property tycoon for helping ‘save’ the UFC by letting them put on fight cards in his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City back in 2001, when the promotion was on the verge of being history.

White, of course, values loyalty above everything else and thus has been in the 47th President’s corner ever since. While he doesn’t involve himself in politics, the head honcho has given his full-throated support to the New Yorker. In fact, it was White who convinced Joe Rogan to have Trump on his podcast, which broke the internet, and many feel is one of the factors Trump ultimately won the 2024 elections.

So it makes sense that the President would go out of his way to make sure Karelina was released from prison. After all, that is what friends do. What do you think about Dana White’s role in the release of Ksenia Karelina?