WASHINGTON — While President Donald Trump plans to make history this weekend when he hosts the UFC at the White House, Mixed Martial Arts history has already been made in Washington in recent years.
At the start of this 119th Congress, there were two former MMA fighters in Congress before one, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), became Department of Homeland Security Secretary in March.
Now, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) holds the title of MMA champion of Capitol Hill. Before coming to Congress, she boasted a 5–1 win–loss amateur record and a 1–1 professional fighting record.
Still, Davids says she’s skipping the Octagon on the White House lawn.
Asked if she planned to attend, Davids told Raw Story, “No, I’m not.”
“We're hosting the World Cup in Kansas City. I’d rather be there,” she said.
“Are you tempted to go to the White House?” Raw Story pressed.
“No,” Davids said without hesitation.
The congresswoman looked a tad perplexed, almost as if it were the first time she even thought about Sunday’s cage match on Trump’s 80th birthday.
“I want to be in Kansas City!” Davids said through a dismissive laugh, which may be because the first KC World Cup match isn’t until Tuesday the 16th, when Argentina takes on Algeria.
While the only elected MMA fighter in Washington is skipping Sunday’s prime-time affair, the UFC and the White House continue hyping the estimated $60 million event.
“This is a very unique experience for everybody,” UFC President and CEO Dana White told TNT earlier this week. “We’re expecting Super Bowl-type numbers for this fight.”
The UFC reports there could be as many as 125,000 spectators, which is why they’ve also got 494 port-a-potties at the ready on the National Mall.
The UFC’s hype machine also got an assist from the FBI this week.
“This is a great partnership with the UFC,” FBI Director Kash Patel said from a UFC training facility in a video posted this week. “We’ve seen about 300 agents come through and learn these amazing tactics so they can safeguard American lives.”
MMA’s only grown in popularity recently in America, but boxing and politics have a storied history.
While there have been bench-clearing brawls in the U.S. Capitol as recently as 1995, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was a middleweight amateur boxer before coming to Congress.
Former Congressman John Morrissey (1831–1878) Wikipedia page, meanwhile, says: “Morrissey, also known as Old Smoke, was an Irish American politician, bare-knuckle boxing champion, and criminal.”