Donald Trump’s FBI director Kash Patel enjoyed an unlikely linkup with Mel Gibson at UFC 313 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Patel, who was appointed head of the United States’ federal law agency following Trump’s reelection as president, was in attendance at T-Mobile Arena for the light-heavyweight bout between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev.
After recently opening up on his wacky plans to have UFC fighters train up FBI agents, the 45-year-old was spotted alongside Dana White at one stage of the evening, with the pair even posing for a photo together in front of the octagon.
However, social media was sent into a frenzy when Patel was seen fist-bumping Gibson while sat next to each other in the crowd.
ESPN cameras captured the incredible moment between the FBI boss and the legendary actor, which left fans in awe online.
One user responded to an image of Patel’s fist-bump with Gibson and wrote on X: ‘BADA**!’
Donald Trump’s FBI director Kash Patel enjoyed an unlikely linkup with Mel Gibson at UFC 313
‘This is the America I want to be in,’ said another.
A third commented: ‘Power team.’
While one joked: ‘This fist bump is some next level power rangers stuff’.
Patel discussed his unorthodox idea to bring in trainers from the UFC to beef up agents’ martial arts and self-defense skills during his first video conference call with the bureau’s 55 field office supervisors last month.
Two people briefed on the matter said current FBI agents described the idea as ‘surreal’ and ‘wacky.’ The FBI declined to comment.
President Trump is a fan of MMA and notably attended a UFC event in New York days after his November election victory, sitting with Dana White, who he counts as a close friend.
A UFC official said the UFC is ‘not aware of any information regarding UFC and FBI training.’
But White gave Patel’s plan the green light after Saturday’s card in Las Vegas, saying: ‘After he said that, my phone blew up.
‘You know, everybody wants to be the trainers of the FBI now I’ve got everybody hitting me up. But he’s dead serious about that.
Patel has wacky plans to bring in UFC fighters to train up America’s team of FBI agents
UFC president Dana White said the FBI boss is ‘dead serious’ about making it happen
‘I talked about it tonight, he’s dead serious. So, we’ll see how that starts to come together.’
Patel has rattled the bureau since he was sworn in last month. One of his first acts was to call for some 1,500 FBI employees to be transferred from Washington to field offices around the country and an FBI office in Huntsville, Alabama.
He telegraphed his plans to shake up the FBI’s operations in his book ‘Government Gangsters,’ in which he called for moving headquarters out of Washington, D.C., and curbing the historical practice of requiring FBI agents who wish to serve in supervisory roles from doing 18-month stints at headquarters to gain experience.
During the nationwide call with field offices, Patel reiterated his commitment to scaling back staffing at headquarters and re-distributing people into the field, two people familiar with the call said.
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