New FBI Director Kash Patel is just a week or so into his new job, and he’s already making waves, and headlines.
Patel, whose confirmation as FBI Director came in a razor-close 51-49 vote before the U.S. Senate, recently went on record suggesting that UFC fighters train the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s agents. While law enforcement learning martial arts tactics is nothing new, the idea of current UFC fighters taking time out to work with the agency is certainly raising eyebrows.
It’s also underscoring the close ties between Patel and U.S. President Donald Trump on one side (Patel is a Trump loyalist), and Trump and UFC CEO and President Dana White on the other.
Multiple news outlets, including ABC, reported that Patel floated the idea of UFC fighters training FBI agents during a teleconference on Wednesday. That report noted that Patel called for the FBI to establish a “formal relationship” with the UFC, with increasing the physical fitness of agents as one goal.
UFC fighters, more frequently in their post-fight careers, have both served among the ranks of law enforcement (Chris Daukaus did so as an active fighter), and as trainers to various police agencies. Jorge Gurgel, a former UFC fighter himself, did just that with the Lewisburg Police Department back in 2019.
Still, having active UFC fighters training the FBI is another matter entirely. And the conflict of interest given President Trump’s close ties with White (he’s often appeared at UFC events) would irk many across the political spectrum.
A story by Reuters on Thursday underscored the pushback against the idea. “There is training the FBI receives in physical altercations. If Kash Patel believed that should be beefed up, the answer is not to go to Donald Trump’s best friend who runs the UFC,” a former Justice Department official, speaking anonymously, told the agency. “It’s clearly motivated by the glitz and glamour show, and Trump’s friend.”
Dana White was a firm supporter of Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 U.S. election, but has stated he has no desire to enter into politics himself.
A UFC official told Reuters in regards to Patel floating the idea that the promotion was “not aware of any information regarding UFC and FBI training.”
