The president-elect’s visit to UFC 309 — and the site of his inflammatory Oct. 27 rally, where a comedian called Puerto Rico an ‘island of garbage’ — was steeped in symbolism.

President-elect Donald Trump celebrated his election victory on Saturday night by attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship event with billionaire friend Elon Musk and cheering fans at a heavily guarded Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162 to win the UFC middleweight championship. After three successful title defenses, Weidman lost to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 on Dec. 12, 2015. Weidman has gone 3-6 since that fight. A broken leg suffered in a 2021 fight kept him out of the Octagon for more than two years.