UFC 316 star was left ‘starstruck’ after what – Sports News
President Donald Trump was full of admiration for Julianna Pena after they met at a UFC occasion, marking their first encounter.
Over the previous 20 years, Trump has develop into a passionate MMA fanatic and a common attendee of UFC occasions, ever since he performed a pivotal position in serving to the promotion company set up itself.
After Zuffa LLC bought the UFC from Semaphore Entertainment Group in 2001, the business tycoon gave UFC president Dana White permission to host a number of battle playing cards on the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Most just lately, Trump attended UFC 314 in Miami along with his granddaughter, Kai. He additionally made appearances at UFC 309 in New York City final November, UFC 302 in Newark final June, UFC 299 in Miami final March, and UFC 290 in Las Vegas back in July of 2023, amongst others.
It was during one of these UFC occasions that Trump first encountered Pena. Recalling their assembly on the ‘Overdogs Podcast,’ the reigning Women’s Bantamweight Champion revealed that the 78-year-old acknowledged her instantly.
“I don’t know if someone whispers in his [Trump] ear right before he knows he’s going to meet me. But whether they did or didn’t, I don’t care,” Pena stated.
”Donald Trump shook my hand and stated, ‘Julianna Pena, I’m such a fan, it’s such a pleasure to fulfill you. I’ve seen your fights, I’ve seen what you could have performed within the company and you’re an unimaginable fighter. Congratulations on all of your success and I can not wait to see you sooner or later doing vivid issues’.
“Like, basically like that. Like, he knew me. Like, he was a fan of me. I turned into like this fan girl, I was like, ‘I gotta meet him’, and when I finally did and he said my name first and shook my hand, and was like, ‘Juliana Pena’, look me in the eyes, I was done. It was over. I was like, ‘good night’.”
While showing on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show,’ Pena admitted she was “starstruck” by Trump. “Love Trump. I met him,” she began.
DON’T MISS…
“You know, it’s special when you meet people and they like know who you are and you’re like shaking in your boots to meet them.
“He stated, ‘Hi, Julianna, I’m a massive fan of you. I really like what you do for the game.’ Like, he actually gave me the nicest praise ever. And he knew my identify and all the pieces.
“I’m just like, is this real? You know, I didn’t think I would get starstruck like that. But when I met Trump, I was like, for sure totally starstruck.”
Pena (13-5-0) will intention to make Trump proud when she squares off towards Kayla Harrison (18-1-0) within the co-main occasion of UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Stay forward of the sport with the newest developments within the sports activities world! Our web site is your final vacation spot for sports activities information, delivering complete updates, in-depth analyses, and knowledgeable insights into the fast-evolving realm of athletics. We deliver you day by day protection on all the pieces from breakthrough coaching techniques and rising workforce methods to main bulletins which are setting the tempo within the sports activities industry.
Discover how these trends are redefining the aggressive panorama! Visit us usually for participating and informative content material by clicking right here. Our meticulously curated articles cowl game-changing techniques, investment alternatives in sports activities, and key milestones in at this time’s dynamic athletic area.
