As the presidential campaign comes to a close, it’s not that surprising to see yet another name from the world of MMA come to the support of Donald Trump. Seeing Royce Gracie endorsing Donald Trump is perhaps more indicative of a trend in the sport than anything else, as a gaggle of other fighters have made similar overtures of support for the Republican candidate. Indeed, Democratic support in the sport is relatively light, with few fighters willing to endorse – or even stand by – Clinton during the contentious 2016 campaign.
“As a proud immigrant I feel that it is my duty to strongly endorse Donald J. Trump for President of this great land. Discipline and respect are paramount virtues in our martial arts philosophy. Mr. Trump is the candidate of law and order who supports our law enforcement as well as our military communities. Nothing is more important than our safety and he is the only one who shows true respect for those who keep us safe. Unfortunately the dishonest media is manipulating Americans in favor of the political establishment and the big money interests that it represents. I plead with my fellow American citizens, especially those who came from other countries, not to believe the false narrative that Trump is anti-immigrant. This is a straight lie. What he is against is breaking the law and disrespecting our constitution. Remember that a country without laws can never be truly great. The establishment tries to paint him as an unstable lunatic. This could not be further from the truth. Just look at the amazing children that he raised and the great respect that they have for him. Just look at the multi-billion dollar businesses that he created. Let’s make America great again. Think outside the box. Don’t be a victim of the media brainwash. Show great courage on November 8th and vote for Donald Trump!”
Royce Gracie’s endorsement of Trump is full of references to Gracie’s career as a fighter, endorsing Trump as a law and order candidate. While there’s certain to be a certain amount of controversy any time a fighter embraces a candidate’s point of view, it seems that Gracie’s thoughts are relatively in line with those of other MMA professionals who have spoken out during the election.
