Topuria in the FBI? Patel proposes agreement with UFC to train agents

Will Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria become an FBI employee? While it doesn't look like it will go that far, it is almost certain that the new FBI director, Kash Patel, had the champion in mind when he began laying out his measures to totally revolutionize the bureau in all areas. In this plan, agents are a key component, which is why Patel is considering turning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to improve their physical fitness and combat skills.

Patel suggested this initiative during a videoconference with 55 field office managers last Wednesday. A meeting that is held weekly, but was the first led by Patel, who was sworn into his new post last Friday.

A "big help" or a "wacky idea"?

The proposal has sparked widespread debate on sets and networks, and has generated a deep divide between those who believe UFC training would be a great help to agents and those who see it as a "wacky" idea and a nod to Donald Trump, a great lover of the sport, and UFC CEO Dana White, one of the Republican's big donors and allies during the election campaign.

Beyond the anecdote, Patel took advantage of the extensive meeting (it went on for hours) to ask the agents for "a vote of confidence" to prove his worth as the new director and establish the master lines of what will be his mandate. One of the points on which he was most adamant is that he will not tolerate "leaks" or what he considers other forms of insubordination.

The new FBI director also made reference to the controversies generated by the Trump Administration over the agents who participated in the January 6 investigation and Musk's famous email asking all federal employees to send an email detailing their work during the previous week if they wanted to keep their job.