Article snippet: NEW YORK (AP) — Politics can be a bruising business. But President Donald Trump took a break from battling the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry to watch another bloodsport Saturday, drawing a mixed response at a UFC match at a raucous Madison Square Garden. Both loud boos and cheers could be heard as Trump, joined by his adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, as well as several congressional Republicans, took their seats ahead of the pay-per-view mixed martial arts match. The greeting, though split, was warmer than the reception Trump received earlier in the week, when he was roundly booed and faced a ‘‘Lock him up!’’ chant at a World Series game he attended in Washington. Though a bloody mixed martial arts fight may be an unusual venue for a president, Trump has longstanding ties to the UFC and sat just a few rows from the cage, where fighters took turns bloodying each other with a variety of kicks and punches. When one of the fighters, Gregor Gillespie, was briefly knocked unconscious by a roundhouse kick, Trump was watching intently but did not visibly react. He later clapped when Gillespie was able to return to his feet. Trump frequently waved to the crowd at the UFC 244 tournament, headlined by a battle between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masdival for a new belt named BMF, a vulgar acronym. Masvidal won the fight after the match was stopped and Dwayne ‘‘The Rock’’ Johnson awarded him the championship belt. Trump’s ties with UFC head Dana White date back to 2001, when he hoste... Link to the full article to read more