FBI Director Kash Patel is getting an up-close look Saturday night at the athletes who could soon assist in the training of the rank-and-file agents if his plan comes to fruition.
Patel, a Las Vegas resident, is in attendance for UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena.
In one of his first conference calls with field office supervisors after being confirmed for the job last month, Patel reportedly discussed the potential of partnering with the Las Vegas-based fighting organization to help sharpen the combat and conditioning skills among FBI agents.
UFC president Dana White has confirmed he discussed the idea with Patel over a dinner, but said there is no deal and no formal plan was formulated.
“It was just a conversation,” White told Sportico.
Patel is a longtime friend of prominent MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz, whose client Justin Gaethje will compete in the co-main event against lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev.
Gaethje said he was aware of the idea and wasn’t sure how much assistance he could be, but expressed his willingness to participate if asked.
“I just heard about it while I was training for this fight,” he said, “so I don’t know many details, and I don’t really even know how it would work. But I’d absolutely want to be a part of it in any way I can.”
It’s unclear if the plan would call for fighters to work with FBI agents or whether the organization would provide access to the UFC Performance Institutes in Las Vegas and abroad. More likely, it would involve some combination of both.
“I’m not sure what I can do,” Gaethje said. “I don’t think these guys have a lot of hand-to-hand combat in their job. I think if they’re going to learn anything, it would be the mindset. But I’ve never had bullets flying at me, so who knows how I’d handle that. It will be interesting.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.