Donald Trump’s unexplained Reality Social add of a virtually six-minute Ion Cutelaba spotlight bundle has left MMA followers asking the identical query: why Cutelaba? The submit arrived with no caption or acknowledged context, and even UFC CEO Dana White stated he had not seen it when requested.
Trump shared a 5-minute, 59-second video centred on Moldovan UFC mild heavyweight Ion Cutelaba, higher often known as “The Hulk.” The submit didn’t embody a message explaining why the president chosen Cutelaba or what prompted the add.
Followers Confused as Donald Trump Shares Six-Minute Ion Cutelaba Spotlight on Reality Social
The montage’s fundamental sequence seems to be Cutelaba’s 2019 first-round stoppage of Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC Combat Night time 160. Cutelaba took Rountree down, labored from prime place and completed the struggle with elbows and strikes at 2:35 of the opening spherical.
That lack of context rapidly grew to become the story. One fan wrote: “Why did Donald Trump posted a 6 minutes Ion Cutelaba spotlight on his social media.” One other joked: “I didn’t even suppose Ion Cutelaba had 6 minutes of UFC highlights.” The response was much less concerning the footage itself than the unlikely supply of the submit.
Trump has been a daily UFC attendee for years and has a long-standing relationship with White, however the Cutelaba add was a really particular pull. There was no occasion announcement, struggle promotion, political message or tag for the UFC hooked up to it. Trump and White’s affiliation goes again roughly 25 years, and Trump has attended a number of UFC occasions whereas serving as president.
White was requested about Trump’s submit at a Dana White’s Contender Sequence media look. His response was quick: “I didn’t see it.”
That reply shut down the apparent idea that the UFC had arrange a promotional push round Cutelaba. There is no such thing as a public indication that White, the UFC, or Cutelaba’s administration had advance information of the add. The rationale behind Trump’s alternative stays unknown.
The clip did, nonetheless, land with the fighter. Cutelaba reshared it on Instagram and wrote: “Didn’t anticipate to see myself right here. Some UFC moments by no means disappear.”
For a fighter whose profession has typically produced frantic, short-notice motion, Trump’s submit was a wierd addition to an already uncommon run. It additionally gave Cutelaba a degree of mainstream consideration that’s not often hooked up to a non-title mild heavyweight spotlight from 2019.
Cutelaba, 32, is a Moldovan mild heavyweight who has been with the UFC since 2016. UFC statistics credit score him with 13 knockout wins, three submission wins and 15 first-round finishes.
