Sources say that at tomorrow's Affliction press conference, Donald Trump will be announcing that former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski, has officially signed with the upstart promotion. The Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization and the Special Counsel to Donald J. Trump, Michael D. Cohen, confirmed the news.
Trump will also announce that he has become an equity partner in the Affliction promotion. When asked what percentage of the organization he now owns, Mr. Cohen would only say "a significant amount."
First, the fight with Ben Rothwell is now officially a go. Second, the UFC has now officially lost another top heavyweight talent. Third, it's hard to speculate so early as to how Donald Trump's involvement in Affliction means for their MMA arm or efforts. I sincerely doubt Trump has the sort of commitment to this sport that Dana White has, but nevertheless, add Trump to the growing list of big money heavyweights throwing their hat in the MMA arena. Perhaps Trump can assist in marketing or television opportunities, but for now, we'll have to wait and see.