Agent who inspired HBO's 'Entourage' is behind Trump's tough-guy image: MMA writer
The super agent who inspired HBO's "Entourage" is behind Trump's tough-guy image and UFC spectacle, according to an MMA writer.
Ari Emanuel, the brother of former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, is known as the basis for Jeremy Piven's character Ari Gold. Behind the scenes, he's also been bankrolling a yearslong effort to give Trump "macho cred," Nate Wilcox, who writes about Mixed Martial Arts and UFC, said in a recent interview.
According to Wilcox, Emanuel was Trump's agent, but he's also the chairman of TKO Group Holdings, the company that owns UFC. TKO is staging the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn....
Jun 13, 2026