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Donald Trump\u2019s unexplained Truth Social upload of a nearly six-minute Ion Cutelaba highlight package has left MMA fans asking the same question: why Cutelaba? The post arrived with no caption or stated context, and even UFC CEO Dana White said he had not seen it when asked.<\/p>\n
Trump shared a 5-minute, 59-second video centred on Moldovan UFC light heavyweight Ion Cutelaba, better known as \u201cThe Hulk.\u201d The post did not include a message explaining why the president selected Cutelaba or what prompted the upload.<\/p>\n
The montage\u2019s main sequence appears to be Cutelaba\u2019s 2019 first-round stoppage of Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC Fight Night 160. Cutelaba took Rountree down, worked from top position and finished the fight with elbows and strikes at 2:35 of the opening round.<\/p>\n
That lack of context quickly became the story. One fan wrote: \u201cWhy did Donald Trump posted a 6 minutes Ion Cutelaba highlight on his social media.\u201d Another joked: \u201cI didn\u2019t even think Ion Cutelaba had 6 minutes of UFC highlights.\u201d The reaction was less about the footage itself than the unlikely source of the post.<\/p>\n
Trump has been a regular UFC attendee for years and has a long-standing relationship with White, but the Cutelaba upload was a very specific pull. There was no event announcement, fight promotion, political message or tag for the UFC attached to it. Trump and White\u2019s association goes back roughly 25 years, and Trump has attended several UFC events while serving as president.<\/p>\n
White was asked about Trump\u2019s post at a Dana White\u2019s Contender Series media appearance. His response was short: \u201cI didn\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer shut down the obvious theory that the UFC had set up a promotional push around Cutelaba. There is no public indication that White, the UFC, or Cutelaba\u2019s management had advance knowledge of the upload. The reason behind Trump\u2019s choice remains unknown.<\/p>\n
The clip did, however, land with the fighter. Cutelaba reshared it on Instagram and wrote: \u201cDidn\u2019t expect to see myself here. Some UFC moments never disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a fighter whose career has often produced frantic, short-notice action, Trump\u2019s post was a strange addition to an already unusual run. It also gave Cutelaba a level of mainstream attention that is not usually attached to a non-title light heavyweight highlight from 2019.<\/p>\n
Cutelaba, 32, is a Moldovan light heavyweight who has been with the UFC since 2016. UFC statistics credit him with 13 knockout wins, three submission wins and 15 first-round finishes.<\/p>\n