Affliction
In 2008 Trump made his biggest play in the MMA market to date by becoming a partner in Affliction, a clothing brand that had planned to take on the UFC by hosting star-studded pay-per-view events.
“It’s really something that I’m doing because I enjoy doing it,” the future president told reporters at Trump Tower. “If we make money, that’s great. I think we will. I think it will be successful. What I do is usually successful.”
Dana White was known to be livid at Affliction challenging them, but while he frequently called out the company’s owner Tom Atencio, he always steered clear of targeting Trump, who did likewise.
“I have great respect for Dana White,” Trump said at the time, despite them going head-to-head. “Some of the people in the room may not like him. I like him and I think he’s done a very good job.”
Nevertheless, Affliction’s move into hosting events would turn out to be something of a disaster and folded in 2009.
Many years later, one of Affliction’s biggest stars, Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was questioned by the FBI in relation to his dealings with Trump and his attorney Michael Cohen as part of the Trump-Russia investigation.
