The influence of the Latino vote in American politics has been a decisive factor in recent election cycles, and, being officially the largest minority electorate in the US, it will surely be crucial in the November elections.
But what does the UFC have to do with all this?
According to Statista studies from May 2023, the majority of the UFC audience in the US is composed of Blacks and Hispanics... you see the point now, don’t you?
And 23% of the Hispanics surveyed consider themselves fans of combat sports like UFC, not just followers, but avid fans.
Additionally, that same study found that 40% of the fan base in the US for combat sports like UFC are millennials.
So we have in the UFC an audience mainly composed of Latino and Black millennials. Does this sound to you like an interesting target for a presidential electoral campaign?
If you have followed the UFC lately, you would have noticed a recurring fan in the front row: the former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump.
UFC fights give Trump a unique opportunity for exposure and connection with demographic groups that are important for his campaign, not only because they are the audience of these sporting events, but also because many of these people are not interested in politics nor consume traditional media, so reaching them through other means can be difficult and costly.
In fact, holding a campaign event in South Florida would cost Trump more in monetary and organizational resources than his appearance at UFC 299 last weekend in Miami, where he had exposure to more than 19,000 people who attended the event plus all the people who were following the broadcast on pay-per-view.
I was one of the 19,000 people at the Kaseya Center watching the UFC fights and I can give you the firsthand account. When Trump arrived at the venue, the audience began to shout, applaud, and chant «USA, USA, USA», and some phrases against Biden that I will not write to keep this article PG-13.
Trump’s appearances at these fights generate for him hundreds of thousands of views on social networks on channels and accounts that are not political. And let me tell you something, that is priceless in a campaign…
But could any politician capitalize on this audience with the same strategy?
I don’t think so. Trump’s authenticity in this field comes from his well-known prior fondness for combat sports and his friendship with Dana White, the charismatic owner of the UFC and an open Trump supporter.
This important detail gives credibility to his appearances, differentiating them from being a simple political trick in the eyes of most viewers.
The Latino enthusiasm for combat sports is not new. Just remember how popular boxing has been for Mexicans and Cubans, for example. Trump has capitalized on this cultural connection, making the UFC a meeting point with Latino voters.
Trump’s recent and repeated appearances at UFC fights undoubtedly respond to a multifaceted electoral strategy: seeking to capture the attention of key voters, to retain supporters, and to project an image of vigor and combativeness that contrasts with that of his rival, Biden.
Beyond his personal enjoyment, his presence in the UFC is a calculated move that reinforces his message of strength and resilience, qualities highly valued in both politics and sports.
Elisa Totaro
IG : @Totaro.Elisa
