The NFL, UFC, boxing and college football had a stranglehold and there was one underlying theme across the sports landscape.
It wasn’t an individual fight or matchup on the gridiron. Instead, it was President-elect Donald Trump and the dance he’s done during his campaign rallies. Support for Trump may have trickled from the sports world in the days leading up to the election, but it really exploded over the weekend.
While there was no Trump dance at the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight, Paul and Tyson both expressed their support for him in the past. Paul went as far as to endorse him in the 2024 election and celebrate his victory in the aftermath.
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President-elect Donald Trump greets Jon Jones after he defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, early Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump’s dance move was on full display at UFC 309.
With the president-elect sitting cage-side with nominees for his future Cabinet, Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic via knockout and did Trump’s move in the immediate aftermath. He pointed to Trump right after and gave his UFC Heavyweight Championship to Trump to hold.
“… And tonight was incredibly special,” Jones said, per MMA Fighting. “Finishing (Daniel Cormier) is up there, too. Stephan Bonnar was the first star that I fought as a young man. Everybody around me told me that I was no one and that I couldn’t do it, and I had to really work on meditation and bringing up my self-esteem for the first time to beat Stephan Bonnar. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ taught me that I could be great. Kid from a small town, never great at anything, I became a champion. D.C., it was just very personal.
“And tonight, tonight is the biggest moment of my life. To talk about Jesus in front of our president and let the world know how truly proud I am to be an American champion, it felt awesome, man. To finish Stipe, it felt awesome.”
Bo Nickal also paid tribute to Trump after his victory. Instead of a dance, he pretended he was swinging a golf club.
Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith (99) celebrates a sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars with linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The Trump golf swing and dance were showcased by Detroit Lions defenders Za’Darius Smith and Malcolm Rodriguez on Sunday. Both players performed the moves after sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones.
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Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers performed the dance move after he scored a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.
“I’ve seen everyone do it,” Bowers said, per USA Today. “I watched the UFC fight last night and Jon Jones did it. I like watching UFC, so I saw it and thought it was cool.”
Tennessee Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine performed the celebratory dance against the Minnesota Vikings after a touchdown.
College football didn’t appear to have anyone new doing the dance move. But last week, it was all over the sport.
UFC President Dana White was asked why he thought fighters gravitate toward the president-elect.
“If you saw the election, the entire country relates to Trump right now,” White said. “Won all the swing states; the only states she (Democrat nominee Vice President Harris) won were the ones you didn’t need ID to vote in. It would’ve been interesting if you needed ID. I feel like the whole country … I feel like somebody hit the reset button.
Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland grabs Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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“However this election went, everyone was hoping it was a blowout either way, so there would be no more bulls—. What I think is, everybody is tired of the bulls—. We’re all tired. We all just want to live our lives and run our businesses and raise our families and do all that s—, and hopefully all this stuff will simmer down in the next four years.”
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