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The FBI plans to award the UFC an exclusive one-year contract to train special agents in hand-to-hand combat, according to an agency document reported by MS NOW. The bureau says the UFC is the sole qualified vendor for the work; a former FBI instructor questioned whether the arrangement reflects favoritism. The FBI says it will conduct more research before seeking bids for a longer-term contract.
The FBI plans to offer the Ultimate Fighting Championship an exclusive, one-year contract to train special agents in hand-to-hand combat, according to an agency document released in September and reported by MS NOW on October 9. The proposed deal would bypass the usual competitive bidding process, while the bureau says the UFC is the sole qualified vendor able to meet its requirements.
The FBI’s justification cites the UFC’s experience in mixed martial arts, striking, grappling and takedowns. The agency said market research found that no other vendor could provide comprehensive instruction in all the required skills at the necessary level of expertise and within the required timeframe. Those statements are the bureau’s rationale for the proposed sole-source arrangement; the published account does not include the underlying market research or identify vendors considered.
The arrangement described in the document is for one year. The FBI said it would use that period to conduct additional research before opening competition for a longer-term contract. The report does not state the proposed deal’s value, the number of agents to be trained, or when the contract would begin.
The plan follows an FBI-UFC training partnership announced in March. At that time, current and former fighters affiliated with the UFC led a two-day seminar for students at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia. The seminar and proposed contract are separate developments: the earlier event was described as a partnership, while the current document outlines a paid, exclusive contract.
A Noncompetitive Training Deal
The proposed contract matters because it would give one private company exclusive access to a federal law-enforcement training assignment without first holding a conventional competition. Competitive bidding can allow agencies to compare providers, prices and methods; in this case, the FBI says its market research supports selecting the UFC alone for the one-year period.
The stated purpose is practical: training agents in physical skills that may be relevant to their duties. But the decision also invites scrutiny of how the bureau defines its training requirements and determines that no other provider can satisfy them. Those questions carry added public interest because UFC chief executive Dana White is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, and FBI Director Kash Patel has publicly praised White and the organization. Those relationships do not establish that the contract is improper, but they make transparency around the selection rationale especially relevant.
The reported document does not provide a contract price or detail how the FBI will measure the training’s effectiveness. Without those details, the public cannot yet assess the deal’s cost or compare its terms with potential alternatives.
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From March Seminar to Contract Plan
In March, the FBI announced a partnership with the UFC under which a group of current and former mixed martial arts fighters affiliated with the company ran a two-day seminar for students at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia. Patel praised White at the time, saying he had “changed the game in the mixed martial arts industry” and that the FBI was “extremely honored to be partnered with him, the professionals, and the UFC.”
White has also appeared alongside Trump, including at a UFC event held on the White House South Lawn in June to mark Trump’s 80th birthday, as described in the MS NOW report. White spoke alongside Trump after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. The report identifies these connections as context for the proposed agreement; it does not establish that they determined the FBI’s vendor decision.
The planned one-year contract appears intended as an interim arrangement while the FBI carries out further market research. According to the bureau’s stated plan, a longer-term contract would later be opened to competing bids.
““the sole qualified vendor””
— The FBI, in the contract justification quoted by MS NOW
Price, Scope and Vendor Review
The reported document does not say how much the contract would cost, how many agents would receive training, or when instruction would start. It also does not explain the exact skills curriculum, the standards the UFC must meet, or how the FBI will evaluate the training’s results.
The FBI’s claim that no other vendor meets its requirements is not independently verified in the report. The underlying market research, including which providers were considered and how the timeframe was set, is not detailed in the material provided. It is also not clear whether the bureau has finalized or signed the contract, rather than describing a plan to offer it.
D’Amico’s allegation that the proposal benefits White because of his friendship with Patel is an opinion attributed to him, not a confirmed finding. The available account does not establish that personal ties influenced the decision, nor does it report a response from the FBI or UFC to that criticism.
Research Before Longer-Term Bids
Under the FBI’s stated plan, the bureau would use the proposed one-year period for additional market research and then open competition for a longer-term contract. The next useful details would include confirmation of whether the initial agreement is signed, its value and duration, the training schedule, and the criteria the FBI will use when inviting bids.
The FBI’s future procurement documents or public statements may clarify how it assessed other potential providers and how it intends to evaluate training outcomes. Until those details emerge, the exclusive one-year proposal and the bureau’s stated rationale are confirmed in the reported agency document, while the contract’s final terms and the longer-term competition remain unresolved.
Key Questions
What does the FBI plan to contract the UFC to do?
The FBI plans to offer the UFC an exclusive one-year contract to train special agents in hand-to-hand combat, according to an agency document reported by MS NOW.
Why does the FBI say the UFC was selected?
The bureau says the UFC is the sole qualified vendor able to provide the required mix of mixed martial arts, striking, grappling and takedown instruction at the necessary expertise level and within the required timeframe. The report does not include the full market research behind that conclusion.
Is the contract already signed?
The reported document describes a plan to offer the contract. The source material does not confirm that the agreement has been finalized or signed.
Will other companies be able to compete?
The proposed one-year deal would bypass the typical competitive bidding process. The FBI says it plans to conduct additional research during that period before opening bids for a longer-term contract.
Is there evidence the decision was influenced by personal ties?
A former FBI defensive tactics instructor alleged to MS NOW that Patel was giving a friend a lucrative contract. The reported material does not establish that personal relationships influenced the selection, and the bureau’s stated justification is that no other vendor met its requirements.
Source: fediverse
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