(Maire Clayton, Headline USA) FBI Director Kash Patel suggested the Ultimate Fighting Championship could partner with the FBI to improve the physical fitness of the department’s agents, according to Reuters.
The idea was floated during Patel’s first video conference call with field office supervisors on Wednesday.
During the call, Patel purportedly said podcaster and soon to be deputy director of the FBI Dan Bongino inspired him to try the training.
Two anonymous sources who were on the call described the idea as “wacky” and “surreal.”
A UFC official told the outlet that the organization was “not aware of any information regarding UFC and FBI training.”
President Donald Trump is a longtime UFC enthusiast and has been frequently spotted with UFC President Dana White at events.
White previously attended Trump’s victory party the day before his inauguration in January.
“This guy is a winner. And I say this all the time. He’s the toughest, most resilient person that I’ve ever met, and nothing was going to stop him from fighting so hard for the country he loves,” White said during the event. “He embodies what being an American is all about. We are the most toughest, resilient people on Earth, and nothing can stop us when we unite.”
An unnamed former Justice Department official decided to take issue with Trump and White’s friendship while speaking with Reuters.
“There is training the FBI receives in physical altercations,” the anonymous source said. “If Kash Patel believed that should be beefed up, the answer is not to go to Donald Trump’s best friend who runs the UFC.”
ABC News contributor Rich Frankel, who was a former special agent in charge of an FBI office, responded to the potential use of the UFC.
“If they’re trying to up their physical fitness, the UFC is very specific in their fitness,” Frankel said.
