Hailing the pairing as “historic,” FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that UFC fighters will teach mixed martial arts to trainees and senior FBI staff at the bureau’s academy in Quantico, Virginia, this weekend.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our FBI agents to learn and train with some of the world’s best athletes, helping the world’s premier law enforcement agency be even better prepared to protect the American people,” Patel said in a press release released by the UFC.

The director went on to praise UFC CEO Dana White, a Donald Trump ally who spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention and the president’s victory party in 2025. 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, announced a training seminar with the MMA organization.
FBI Director Kash Patel, pictured behind Dana White and Donald Trump at a 2025 UFC event in Miami, announced a training seminar with the MMA organization.

MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images

Patel said the combat sports executive “has changed the game in the mixed martial arts industry and we are very honored to partner with him, the professionals and the UFC.”

“We are grateful for your shared love for our nation, so we can better defend it,” he added.

“I have tremendous respect for the FBI and the work they do every day to protect this country,” White said in the statement. “Our UFC fighters are some of the baddest men and women on the planet, and they’re headed to Quantico to train top 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 February 2025 report noted Patel’s expressed interest in recruiting UFC to assist in office training.

Patel received a public relations black eye at the recent Winter Olympics for drinking beer in the locker room with the victorious U.S. men’s hockey team and for his supposedly light business agenda at the Games.

Patel attended the gold medal match in the middle of a widely questioned trip to the Winter Olympics.
Patel attended the gold medal match in the middle of a widely questioned trip to the Winter Olympics.

Elsa via Getty Images

According to the release, UFC athletes “will provide insight into how they train for competition, as well as demonstrate specific techniques and tactics, offering a unique perspective to students as they prepare to enter the field office.”

The list of instructors includes UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, UFC’s first “Baddest Motherfucker” (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.