Ex-UFC fighter Dan Henderson endorses Chad Bianco for California governor, rips Newsom for state's issues

EXCLUSIVE: Former UFC combatant Dan Henderson officially endorsed sheriff Chad Bianco for California Governor successful 2026, helium told Fox News Digital. 

Bianco, the existent constabulary sheriff of Riverside County, is moving arsenic a Republican and led the tract successful an October canvass by the University of California, Berkeley implicit Republican challenger Steve Hilton and Democrat front-runner Katie Porter. 

Henderson said Bianco earned his enactment successful 2020, erstwhile the sheriff famously refused to enforce the state's COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and disguise mandates. 

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"It was benignant of a blessing that helium didn't unopen everything down arsenic agelong arsenic we were being liable with everything. I benignant of admired however helium handled that full situation," Henderson said. 

"A batch of concern owners would person went retired of business, and possibly adjacent worse, arsenic acold arsenic losing a batch of the things that they had, had helium unopen each the concern down similar the politician wanted … It was much communal sense, helium didn't panic and deliberation the satellite was going to end."

As a lifelong California resident, Henderson has dealt with definite difficulties successful his location authorities successful caller years nether the enactment of existent politician Gavin Newsom and Democrat leadership. Henderson said that portion helium plans to stay successful California, he's seen galore of closest friends fly the authorities to unrecorded successful Texas, Tennessee and Florida.

Henderson shared his biggest grievances.

Gas prices

Henderson drives a Grenadier, and said it takes astir $100 to capable up his vessel with existent California state prices. He wants to spot the adjacent politician instrumentality vantage of the earthy lipid disconnected California's shores to summation the state's entree to gasoline, and bring prices down, alternatively of relying connected overseas suppliers.

"We person the highest prices successful the country," Henderson said. "We person a batch of lipid nether the crushed that we're not adjacent using, but we bargain everything, and we person a large shortage each year, due to the fact that we're not utilizing our resources."

The migrant situation and ICE cause targeting

"I deliberation everybody should person to travel into our state legally, conscionable similar if we wanted to spell into others country, we person to legally bash that," Henderson said. "I person friends who are ineligible [immigrants], and they would similar to spot everyone other travel successful the mode they did, legally." 

Residents situation national and Border Patrol agents who program their flight aft an migrant raid connected Atlantic Blvd. successful Bell, Califonia, June 19, 2025.  (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

ICE agents successful California person been predominant targets of protesters successful 2025. In June during an anti-ICE protestation successful downtown Los Angeles, demonstrators allegedly threw rocks and bottles astatine officers, resulting successful injuries. In July 2025, agents conducting a raid successful Camarillo and Oxnard were reportedly attacked with rocks, and 1 of their vehicles was blocked and hit. 

Newsom has signed aggregate laws that impact ICE agents, including a measurement that prohibits national and section instrumentality enforcement from wearing masks that conceal their identities portion connected duty. The laws besides prohibition ICE from entering schools and hospitals without a warrant. 

"[ICE] is trying to support everybody by getting criminals, not conscionable immigrants, but much of the worst of the worst immigrants, not adjacent immigrants but illegals, and for them to not beryllium capable to bash their occupation and marque our authorities safer… I deliberation it's ridiculous that they're having to woody with, immoderate of their biggest problems are coming from our citizens, from immoderate connected the left."

INSIDE GAVIN NEWSOM'S TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL CRISIS

Trans athletes successful girls' sports

California acquisition argumentation presently allows biologic males to vie successful girls' precocious sports. 

"It's conscionable not just to women that bid hard to bushed different women and, you know, for their gender, they're the apical of the world, but past they are forced to vie against the men … successful astir sports, the girls don't person a chance," Henderson said. 

Newsom himself has said, aggregate times, that helium believes males competing successful girls' sports is "unfair." Yet, helium has not taken immoderate enactment to code the issue. 

"He doesn't truly attraction overmuch astir fixing it," Henderson added.

The Los Angeles wildfires

Newsom was the taxable of immense disapproval erstwhile wildfires ravaged the metropolis successful January. 

"[Newsom] conscionable didn't marque definite everything was handled properly. And determination wasn't capable h2o reserve and That's it. A batch of radical didn't cognize that that was an issue, but I'm definite helium did," Henderson told Fox News Digital. 

Newsom ordered an autarkic probe of the Los Angeles Department of Water Pressure connected Jan. 10 regarding the nonaccomplishment of h2o unit and deliberate unopen down of the reservoir, calling it "deeply troubling," according to tribunal records. 

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Governor Gavin Newsom, left, and LA wildfires, right (Getty)

Newsom added that the nonaccomplishment of h2o unit "likely impaired" the quality of firefighters to support homes and evacuation zones successful the Pacific Palisades.  

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