What happened when Donald Trump launched MMA promotion to rival Dana White and the UFC

Donald Trump attempted to compete with the UFC by launching an MMA promotion that was backed by several big names. What happened to it?

The UFC have held a stranglehold on MMA and are the sport's leaders following Dana White's acquisition of the company in 2001.

Over the years, White has seen many MMA promotions pop up to rival the UFC but, ultimately, to no avail.

Bellator and Strikeforce tried to hang with the UFC but fell to the wayside, failing to challenge White's MMA powerhouse.

Even Trump, the current US president, had a go at entering the MMA bubble as he launched Affliction MMA, which was created by Affliction Clothing in 2008.

Trump, who previously helped White in the early days of the UFC, teamed up with Tom Atencio, who fronted Affliction MMA, American lawyer Michael Cohen and boxing promotion Golden Boy Promotions, which was headed by Oscar De La Hoya.

So, what happened to Affliction MMA?

Well, the budding MMA promotion staged their first event in July 2008 in Anaheim, California, and was littered with MMA legends, including former UFC heavyweight champions Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.

Not to mention Fedor Emelianenko, who at the time, was widely regarded as the MMA GOAT following his impressive body of work in Japan.

Donald Trump teamed up with likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Tom Atencio to create Affliction MMA. Image: Getty

Emelianenko never fought in the UFC, who were unable to strike a deal with his team. According to Joe Rogan, White was tasked with negotiating with 'gangster-type' characters.

After his stint with Pride FC in Japan, the Russian heavyweight headlined Affliction MMA's debut show, facing off against Sylvia, who reigned as the UFC heavyweight champion between 2006 and 2007.

Emelianenko made light work of Sylvia, putting him away in 36 seconds.

In January 2009, Affliction MMA put on their second show following a somewhat successful first card.

Again, Emelianenko was involved in the headline act as he squared off against another ex-UFC heavyweight champion in the shape of Arlovski.

Emelianenko destroyed a second former UFC champion in as many fights following his first-round knockout victory over Arlovski.

Affliction MMA showed signs of promise, having put on two stellar cards and seemed to have the financial backing to disturb the MMA space.

But their proposed third event saw the downfall of Trump's MMA venture.

Emelianenko was paired against Josh Barnett, who won the UFC title in his spell under White's promotion before being stripped due to a failed post-fight drug test, for Affliction MMA's third event, which was due to take place on August 1, 2009.

However, just 11 days out from the show, the California State Athletic Commission announced it would not license Barnett because he tested positive for a banned substance.

Barnett's failed pre-screening drug test prompted Affliction to take drastic action as they folded their MMA promotion.

Affliction MMA cancelled their third show before folding the company following Josh Barnett's positive drug test. Image: Getty

Barnett had been instrumental in helping Affliction MMA get off the ground but was considered the one who singlehandedly brought it down.

"The truth of the matter is, Josh was a very big, integral part of the whole beginning of the fight side of it," Affliction MMA chief Atencio said. "We consulted him a lot, and he was helping us. And that’s what bothers me so much, that he didn’t have the respect, to just give me a call and say, hey, they tested me last month. When you trust somebody, that’s the part that hurts."

The company's MMA product struggling to get the respect among fans coupled with Barnett's mishap led to the demise of Affliction MMA, who failed to grasp the mainstream attention their superior opponent had a firm grip on.

The noise Affliction MMA made, however, didn't go unnoticed among the UFC.

In an interview with Forbes, White addressed the situation when Trump tried to compete against the UFC.

"He did [launch his own promotion],” he said. "That’s funny. What happened was - I want to say it was TMZ was interviewing me one time, and they’re like 'Donald Trump’s about to go head-to-head with you, what do you have to say about that?’ I said, 'I’ll never say anything bad about Donald Trump'."

Even though Trump and Co. pulled the plug on Affliction MMA, the 78-year-old is still involved in the sport as he's often sat Octagon-side for the biggest UFC events and gets his own walkout.