Hailing the pairing as “historic,” FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that UFC fighters will teach mixed martial arts to FBI trainees and senior staff at the bureau’s academy in Quantico, Va., this weekend.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our FBI agents to learn and train with some of the greatest athletes on earth ― helping the world’s premier law enforcement agency be even better prepared to protect the American people,” Patel said in a press release posted by UFC.
The director went on to praise UFC CEO Dana White, a Donald Trump ally who spoke at the 2024 RNC and the president’s 2025 victory party. White is working with the White House to host a UFC event there in June.
FBI Director Kash Patel, pictured behind Dana White and Donald Trump at a 2025 UFC event in Miami, has announced a training seminar with the MMA organization. MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images
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Patel said the combat sport executive “has changed the game in the mixed martial arts industry and we’re extremely honored to be partnered with him, the professionals, and the UFC.”
“We are grateful for their shared love of our nation, so that we can better defend her,” he added.
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“I have tremendous respect for the FBI and the work they do every day to protect this country,” White said in the release. “Our UFC fighters are some of the baddest men and women on the planet and they are heading to Quantico to train the best FBI agents in mixed martial arts. It’s an incredible opportunity for our athletes to experience, and we’re proud to support the FBI in strengthening their defense techniques.”
A report in February 2025 noted Patel’s expressed interest in recruiting the UFC to aid in the bureau’s training.
Patel received a PR black eye at the recent Winter Olympics for swigging beer in the locker room with the victorious U.S. men’s hockey team and for his reportedly light business schedule at the Games.
Patel attended the gold medal match amid a widely questioned trip to the Winter Olympics. Elsa via Getty Images
According to the release, the UFC athletes “will provide insight into how they train for competition, as well as demonstrate specific techniques and tactics, offering a unique perspective to the students as they prepare to enter the field office.”
The roster of instructors includes interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, the first UFC “Baddest ************” (a symbolic designation) champion Jorge Masvidal, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, former UFC strawweight title challenger Claudia Gadelha and mixed martial arts icon Renzo Gracie.
