Warning: this episode contains strong language.Over the past five years, one sports league has gained popularity faster than any other: Ultimate Fighting Championship, or U.F.C.Matt Flegenheimer, a correspondent for The Times, discusses the man behind the league and how his longtime friendship with President-elect Donald J. Trump has transformed what once was a fringe sport into a culture and political powerhouse.Guest: Matt Flegenheimer, a correspondent at The New York Times who focuses on in-depth profiles of powerful figures.Background reading: Dana White, the U.F.C.’s chief executive, has shot to the peak of Trump-era culture and political influence. What does he want?For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Full Episode
Hey, it's Sabrina. Before we get started, a few details about a major developing story that's still being pieced together. According to investigators, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, an armed man driving a rented pickup truck deliberately plowed into a crowd celebrating New Year's Eve in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more.
In a short speech last night, President Biden said that the driver, a U.S. Army veteran who died during the attack, had been inspired by the Islamic State and had expressed a clear desire to kill. Investigators said that they are still trying to determine whether he had acted alone or had any help from individuals or a group. These are the key facts we know for now.
We'll be following developments over the next few hours and we'll bring them to you as soon as we can. Okay, here's today's show.
This is Daily Producer Olivia Nat. I am in Las Vegas outside an arena where tonight there is going to be a UFC championship fight. I am notoriously squeamish, so I'm really excited to talk to people about why they like this sport, why they're here tonight, and I'm going to go talk to some of them. It is a microphone. Do you have a couple of minutes to answer some questions?
Oh, hell yeah. Yeah, let's get some questions going. Let's get some questions going.
Why are you guys here tonight? What do you like about watching fights?
The combat is... I love it. Like you never know, it's two men in a cage. It's man versus man. Beast versus beast.
I really enjoy the special moments where people get knocked out.
It's live action. It lets you know who you are. I've never been to a fight before. What should I expect tonight?
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