US FBI Special Agents to Learn Fighting from UFC? Push for One-Year Exclusive Contract—Influence of Trump’s Closest Ally, the CEO?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is pushing for a one-year exclusive contract to entrain its special agents in close-quarters combat training to the mixed martial arts organization UFC. As the deal proceeds as a sole-source contract without competitive bidding, questions are arising over whether the influence of Dana White, UFC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is on intimate terms with U.S. President Donald Trump, is at play.

According to a report by U.S. sports outlet The Athletic on the 11th (Korean time), the FBI officially submitted an evaluation document for "sole source justification," a legal procedure that allows a contract to be signed directly with a specific company without reviewing bids from other firms, on September 30. The specific amount to be paid to UFC under this contract has been classified as confidential, so it remains unclear how much taxpayer money will be invested. Neither the FBI nor UFC responded to The Athletic’s inquiries regarding this matter.

In its submitted document, the FBI stated that "physical combat capability, mental toughness, and tactical situational judgment are essential for special agents exposed to high-risk situations," explaining that "a customized training program for special agents combining mixed martial arts (MMA) techniques with specialized defensive tactics is needed."

It further claimed that "while market research identified other firms possessing some of the required skills, UFC is the only one meeting FBI standards in areas such as striking, grappling, takedowns, weapon defense, ground control, and physical conditioning." According to the contract terms, after maintaining the exclusive contract for one year, additional market research will be conducted before introducing competitive bidding for future long-term contracts. It also specified that other firms may file objections until the 15th of this month.

The issue lies in suspicions of political collusion arising from the government’s unusual grant of exclusive status to a specific private combat organization. UFC CEO Dana White is considered one of President Trump’s most prominent long-time friends and key aides. Trump helped White in the early days of UFC by lending his own casino as a venue for events, and White served as a supporting speaker for Trump at the 2024 Republican Party National Convention. In June last year, an unprecedented Octagon event, "UFC Freedom 250," was held on the White House South Lawn to celebrate Trump’s 80th birthday.

Previously, in March last year, the FBI invited famous fighters such as Justin Gaethje, Jorge Masvidal, Chris Weidman, and Michael Chandler to a two-day demonstration seminar at the Quantico Academy in Virginia.

However, it is reported that new FBI special agents are already undergoing high-intensity defensive combat training from their own instructors through a 20-week basic field training program. With no clear explanation of what substantive difference the external program with UFC offers compared to existing internal training, controversy in the U.S. is expected to intensify further.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original