The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is America's premier mixed-martial-arts league. In its early days in the 1990s, fighters had to reach a gentlemen's agreement not to pull each other's hair. It was once banned in 36 states and on pay-per-view television; Senator John McCain crusaded against it as "human cockfighting". The league cleaned up its rules, banning hair-pulling, eye-gouging, head-butting, "groin attacks of any kind" and "stomping a grounded opponent". The UFC code of conduct forbids "insulting language" about religion and gender; in 2013 it suspended a fighter for transphobic remarks.
Donald Trump helped legitimise the league, hosting fights at his Taj Mahal casino in 2001 when the UFC was struggling for regulatory approval. League president Dana White has campaigned for Mr Trump and now calls hate speech "probably the most important free speech to protect". The league's audience is mostly male and notably young by US sports standards. Mr Trump plans to host UFC fights on the White House south lawn on his birthday, June 14th 2026.
While money can't buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.