As an avid fight fan, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, often attends marquee UFC shows. Yet, the glamour around his presence hasn’t fully sunk in for many fans. Even though POTUS has made several appearances over the years, one question still lingers: What draws one of the world’s most powerful leaders to watch a cage fight? Well, a UFC star raised the same question once again after Trump’s latest walkout at UFC 327.

On April 11th, Donald Trump continued his streak of visiting Miami. After UFC 314 last year, the President attended this year’s spectacle along with family members like Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and key political figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, UFC President and CEO Dana White made a special walkout with Trump, a moment 155 lbs star Paddy Pimblett found wild.

“Sick the way lad the president of the United States goes to these shows,” Paddy Pimblett said on his social media video, “The President of the United States comes to watch us fight. It’s f— sick,” he added.

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Indeed, Donald Trump attends UFC events as Dana White’s VIP guest. However, the POTUS himself enjoys watching MMA fights. He also helped the company grow during its early struggling days by hosting events at the Trump Taj Mahal. So there’s quite a bit of history between Trump and the promotion. Because of that, the President has attended UFC events multiple times and has been part of several highlight moments, such as Jon Jones doing the ‘Trump dance’ after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

That said, many UFC fighters are also known Trump supporters. Famously, Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington are fans of the President, and their rivalry even included moments of them fighting over who is Trump’s favorite fighter. Surprisingly, Paddy Pimblett also counts himself in that list. The Liverpudlian has fought twice in front of the POTUS (UFC 296, UFC 314), and he even bragged about being Trump’s favorite fighter last year while targeting Covington.  So, it won’t be a stretch to say that Paddy’s admiration for Trump prompted that candid reaction.

Former USA President Barack Obama’s well-documented love for basketball, including his attendance at NBA games and filling out NCAA tournament brackets, and the British Royal Family’s long-standing association with Wimbledon draw parallels to Trump’s love for MMA.

Now, while it remains a fact that many fighters like Donald Trump, fans have often wondered who the President himself favors. Well, Dana White has already cleared that up.

Dana White reveals Donald Trump’s favorite UFC fighter

During the UFC 327 broadcast, Dana White dropped a bombshell as he announced that Derrick Lewis will face Josh Hokit at UFC White House after the  Californian beat Curtis Blaydes in Miami. Later, when reporters asked the UFC CEO how the fight came together, White revealed that he included Lewis at the request of Donald Trump. That answer prompted another question from The Mac Life’s Oscar: why Trump likes Lewis so much, which the head honcho addressed with a candid response.

“He’s a fan, he likes Derrick Lewis, and he likes his personality,” Dana White said at the UFC 327 post-fight presser. “He likes the way he fights. I don’t know. I mean, what makes us fans of anybody? I don’t know what it is, but the president loves Derrick Lewis.”

Well, it’s not entirely known what’s actually behind Trump’s fondness for Lewis. But after ‘The Black Beast’ scored an impressive 36-second knockout of Tallison Teixeira, he gave a shoutout to the US president. Moments later, White called Trump and handed the phone to Lewis, who had a live call with him. So, there’s definitely shared respect. At the press conference, Derrick Lewis revealed that the conversation was “classified” and said that he was trying to get his name off a particular list.

That said, as the POTUS has again grabbed the spotlight, what do you feel about his presence during UFC events?