Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to show how wildly popular he is in the Sunshine State with the rock star-like reception he found this weekend at UFC 273 event in Jacksonville.
When DeSantis entered the arena, the house erupted in cheers and applause for him, as video of the night shows:
Epic night for @GovRonDeSantis last night at #UFC273 with his entrance, his intro by @Jon_Anik and his ringside reaction with @danawhite he’s such a boss. pic.twitter.com/c93GK8FNxX
— Florida Grand (@florida_grand) April 10, 2022
That wasn’t the first raucous applause DeSantis earned that night. The crowd erupted again when the Gov. was formally announced over the loudspeakers.
Many speculate that DeSantis is considering a run for president in 2024.
Florida was one of the few states that continued welcoming the UFC when so many other states were shutting down all sports venues to address the coronavirus.
Indeed, the UFC was pleased to announce events in Jacksonville in 2021 at the height of the COVID scare when most places were wallowing in lockdowns.
A year ago, DeSantis was excited to tweet out that he met UFC President Dana White ahead of UFC 261.
It was great to meet with the legend @DanaWhite in Jax ahead of the big fight between @GameBredFighter and @USMAN84kg this Saturday in a sold out @VyStarVetArena! #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/C47XWlsgCK
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 22, 2021
Ahead of the bout, DeSantis welcomed the UFC to the “oasis of freedom” in Florida.
“There’s a lot of stuff that comes flying at you, particularly from media, social media, all this stuff. Some people don’t like to handle that. Dana White goes right in the teeth of that,” DeSantis said, Florida Politics reported.
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