DEARBORN, Mich. — UFC fighters came to the city with America’s largest proportion of Arab Americans — just hours after Donald Trump visited a Lebanese café down the street — urging them to vote Republican to secure peace in the Middle East.
Arab-American attendees packed the tables of Sheeba, a Yemeni restaurant, Friday to see Rashad Evans, Frankie Edgar and Henry Cejudo make their case for Trump.
Dearborn’s large Muslim population views these fighters as heroes, Ali Aljahmi, 19, the event’s Yemeni-born host whose family owns the restaurant, explained to The Post.
“They absolutely love the UFC. They admire them. They are heroes to them. We had a lot of people, most of them come out for that reason why. That’s the reason that they’re here,” he said.
The invite-only event tied into a months-long attempt by Trump campaign officials to woo Arab Americans and Muslims upset with the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Former ambassador to Germany and Michigan native Richard Grenell, who’s been at the center of this effort, told the crowd, “We must have someone who does the hard work of digging in, meeting, listening and demanding peace. A strong leader like Donald Trump. And by the way, let’s be very clear — Donald Trump handed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris literally world peace. No war in Europe, no war in the Middle East.”
Grenell, who’s light on specifics of how a Trump administration would end the war, declined an interview but told The Post over text message the next day, “Trump already delivered peace and Arab Israeli Peace agreements. Arabs, Muslims and Jews want an end to the terrorism and killings. Kamala doesn’t even talk about the massive and escalating war. She doesn’t know how to stop it.”
Edgar, a star retired UFC fighter, told the audience he could relate to their daily experiences more than the typical athlete.
“I hate those celebrity videos telling us what to do. But we’re not Hollywood celebrities. We’re blue-collar fighters,” said Edgar, a New Jersey native. “And before I was a fighter, I was a union plumber. Now that I retired, I own a business. I’m a family man. I have kids that go to school. These are all issues that we have in common, and these are issues that I care about. And that’s why I’m voting for Donald Trump.”
Dearborn mixed-martial-arts fighter Abe Alsaghir, an Arab-American, echoed the foreign-policy message as a former airborne infantry member, saying he believes Trump will bring peace to the Middle East.
Alsaghir explained that the Biden administration ordered him to the Middle East in 2020, but he managed to avoid deployment.
“I did everything I can just to get out, honorable discharge, all that stuff. I ended up getting out, started fighting,” he said. “When Trump wasn’t president, there was no orders, none of that stuff. I just want you to vote for the right president, and it’s Donald Trump.”
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This peace-oriented message was also highlighted by a semi-truck outside — paid for by ABE PAC, Arab Americans for a Better America political-action committee, the event’s organizer — carrying an LED sign reading, “Stop Kamala Stop War.”
But foreign policy was not the only item on the agenda. Former UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist Cejudo spoke on the issue of transgender participation in female sports.
“You’re fighting for your dreams, and next you know it, there’s a guy in a woman’s sport that’s winning your daughter’s or your son’s trophy,” he said.
The event was interrupted halfway through when former fighter Evans was interrupted by two screaming female protesters as he delivered his endorsement of Trump.
“Genocide supporters!” yelled one of the protesters from outside the event. A group of men quickly rushed outside of the event space to escort them from the restaurant.
In interviews with The Post, attendees repeatedly emphasized foreign policy and peace abroad as top priorities.
One attendee, a Yemeni American who wished to remain anonymous, told The Post before the event he had never voted Republican but might be willing to make a change in 2024. But afterward, he said he was disappointed and would reconsider his decision.
“I came here wanting change. But to be honest with you, I didn’t really hear what I really wanted to hear. I wasn’t as convinced as I thought I would be after all the speeches,” he said.
“I want to hear more foreign policy. I want to hear how Trump is going to stop the wars in the Middle East, unite the Middle East,” he added. “But to come up here and just talk about transsexuals or gender — America is built on diversity.”
Michigan’s Muslim and Middle Eastern population will likely be divided at the polls Nov. 5.
After the event, Aljahmi told The Post, “Some are just going with no votes at all. Others are going with Donald Trump. Very, very little to zero vote Kamala.”
An October Arab-American Institute poll showed Harris and Trump virtually tied among Arab Americans nationally, with Trump drawing 42% of their support and Harris 41%.
Also in attendance was Hassan Aoun, a Lebanese-American pro-Trump activist who says he’s confident Trump will bring back stability to the Middle East.
“We need an immediate cease-fire overseas. And he is the only one to do that.“ said Aoun. “He put peace a long time ago.”
