A return to Madison Square Garden meant revisiting the place where a comedian caused an uproar at a Trump rally last month by likening Puerto Rico to a "floating island of garbage."

Known by some in the mixed martial arts world as the "Combatant in Chief," Trump counts UFC President Dana White as a close friend and considers fans of the sport part of his political base.

The president-elect’s visit to UFC 309 — and the site of his inflammatory Oct. 27 rally, where a comedian called Puerto Rico an ‘island of garbage’ — was steeped in symbolism.

President-elect Donald Trump celebrated his election victory on Saturday night by attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship event with billionaire friend Elon Musk and cheering fans at a heavily guarded Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva on July 6, 2013, at UFC 162 to win the UFC middleweight championship. After three successful title defenses, Weidman lost to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 on Dec. 12, 2015. Weidman has gone 3-6 since that fight. A broken leg suffered in a 2021 fight kept him out of the Octagon for more than two years.

A middleweight bout between former champion Chris Weidman and Eryk Anders was pulled from UFC 309 on Saturday when Anders fell ill from "unspecified medical issues," the UFC announced during the broadcast for the event.

Eryk Anders took the water bottle and shoved it in his pants. No, it wasn't filled with water. It was filled with urine. The method had worked a few times already. "It's a foolproof plan," Anders thought as he chuckled to himself.

One of New York's favorite UFC sons won't get his chance to compete at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Minutes before UFC 309 started, the promotion announced Chris Weidman's fight was off due to an illness with his opponent Eryk Anders.

Eryk Anders says there was no way he would’ve been able to compete at UFC 309. Just as Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden kicked off, Jon Anik revealed that Anders’ scheduled preliminary bout with former middleweight champion Chris Weidman would no longer take place on the card due to Anders falling ill.

The MMA realm went into shock as Eryk Anders was forced to pull out of his fight against Chris Weidman just moments before the fight night. The post “This Is Tragic” – MMA Community Reacts as Dana White and Co.