Former President Donald Trump received the backing of a handful of UFC strong men last week as they spoke to Arab American voters in Michigan, which will likely be a key state on that path for a possible presidential election victory.
UFC stars Justin Gaethje, Beneil Dariush and Henry Cejudo went to bat for Trump as he battles Vice President Kamala Harris. The event was sponsored by Conservative Middle Eastern and took place in Detroit, the New York Post reported Monday.
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Beneil Dariush, pictured here, gets ready to fight Arman Tsarukyan during UFC Fight Night at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 2, 2023. (Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports)
Dariush, an Assyrian Christian born in Iran, spoke to a crowd that was filled with Chaldeans – a Christian minority group that also felt the effects of the Islamic State and other explosive regional issues, according to the New York Post. Dariush explained to the attendees he felt Trump was a different politician, especially those who have dealt with issues in the Middle East.
For me, peace abroad, it’s probably like second to my own family at home. I want peace for my family. I want prosperity for my family at home. But to forget about those people?” he told the New York Post.
Ali Abdelaziz, who was credited with forging the opportunity for the fighters to speak at the event, also touted Trump’s Middle East policy.
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Max Holloway, right, fights Justin Gaethje during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
“I think Donald Trump brought four years of peace,” he told The Post. “Now you see the whole world has war: in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, now Iran. The whole world is going crazy because I don’t think the people respect the leadership of the United States right now.”
Gaethje described the final days of the presidential campaign as the “championship rounds.” Cejudo told the crowd that he related to the experience of first-generation Americans.
Trump was ahead of Harris in a Fox News national survey back on Oct. 16, 50%-48%.
Former President Donald Trump, right, talks with UFC President Dana White during the fight between Cesar Almeida and Roman Kopylov during UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on June 1, 2024. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
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Harris, however, is ahead by six points among voters from the seven key battleground states (within the margin of error for that subsample), and the candidates are tied at 49% each among voters in close counties (where the Biden-Trump 2020 margin was less than 10 points). Trump’s advantage comes from a larger share in counties he won by more than 10 points in 2020 (64%-35%) than Harris has in counties Biden won by more than 10 points (58%-39%).
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