The FBI is in the process of awarding the UFC an exclusive contract to train federal agents in mixed martial arts, six months after a seminar at the bureau’s academy.
In March, roughly 300 federal agents and academy students took part in specialized hand-to-hand combat training with seven past and current UFC fighters at the FBI Special Agent Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The two-day seminar included photo-ops with the fighters, who wore branded UFC-FBI training gear. FBI director Kash Patel also posed for photos with federal agents and appeared to be handing out signed headshots of himself.
Exclusive contract filing
In September, the bureau filed a Sole Source Justification form, allowing the government to award contracts without considering bids from other companies. The bureau claimed the UFC was “uniquely qualified” to provide these services, noting that “the trainers provided by UFC have the skills necessary to instruct striking techniques, grappling/takedowns, weapon defense, ground control, as well as conditioning to the standard that the FBI expects and requires.”
The document says the exclusive contract would be limited to a single year, while a potential long-term contract would be open to competitive bidding following “market research.” The exact sum the FBI plans to pay the UFC is not disclosed.
UFC-Trump alliance
The FBI claims the UFC collaboration is part of an initiative to provide innovative training for its agents, but it also appears to be part of the sustained consolidation of the UFC-Trump alliance. Over the past decade, the UFC has emerged as one of Trump’s most influential and reliable partners. The promotion’s owner, Ari Emanuel, was once Trump’s agent and has helped steer the UFC’s rightward shift. White is a close friend of the president and has stumped for him over three presidential campaigns.
The UFC has also platformed Trump and his political agenda. The organization produced a documentary on Trump called Combatant-in-Chief, which perpetuated the claim that Trump was instrumental to the UFC’s survival during a dark period in its history. The UFC became the first professional sports brand to host an event at the White House, and the Trump administration signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Department of State to begin “sports diplomacy” initiatives. The UFC also began a sponsorship deal with Anduril, a defense tech start-up known for developing AI-powered war machines and sentry towers used to survey the US-Mexico border.
Fighters’ political ties
The UFC-FBI program is far from unique: military and police forces around the world have undergone unarmed combat training. In 2024, the Canadian military organized jiu-jitsu seminars for various units. Gulf states such as the UAE incorporate Brazilian jiu-jitsu practice in their military and police training. Several FBI agents also have experience with unarmed combat, including retired agent George Piro, who led the FBI’s interrogation of Saddam Hussein and later won his division at the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship.
Several of the UFC fighters who took part in the March seminar were affiliated with the Trump administration or with Patel personally. Former UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal headlined a “Fighters Against Socialism” tour across Florida alongside Donald Trump Jr ahead of the 2020 election. Another trainer, UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, stumped for Trump on numerous occasions, including at the 2026 midterm convention in Dallas.
Several fighters at the seminar were also managed by Ali Abdelaziz, a controversial figure who once worked as an informant for the FBI and the New York Police Department. He was recruited to work undercover collecting intelligence on a terrorism-linked organization named Muslims of the Americas, but his covert relationship with the US government was eventually severed when agents reportedly had suspicions about his reliability. Abdelaziz campaigned for Patel to land the FBI director role and attended Patel’s Senate confirmation hearing. Last month, he was pictured partying with Patel at the wedding for Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba.
While Patel may continue to make a case for a partnership with the UFC, this is merely the latest example of how MMA – and the UFC in particular – have become deeply intertwined with US politics, especially among Republicans eager to bask in the reflected glory of the literal tough guys they’re bringing into the fold.
