NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Dana White and President-elect Donald Trump pose for a photo … More
If President Donald Trump has his way, the White House grounds will host a UFC title fight in 2026 as part of the America250 celebration.
“Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of ‘America250’ and I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said in a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday, July 3.
“Does anybody watch UFC? The great [UFC CEO] Dana White? We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.
“We’re going to build a little — we’re not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250’ also.”
White posted the clip on social media.
The SportsBusinessJournal reached out to the UFC following Trump’s speech. The UFC confirmed the promotion is, “planning to put on an event at the White House over the next year to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.”
Trump recently attended the UFC 316 fight card at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey as White’s cageside guest.
White and Trump have a long relationship. In 2022, White recalled the early days of his involvement of the UFC, along with the promotion’s owners at the time, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.
“This brand was so bad, venues didn’t even want us. Arenas didn’t want us,” said White. “These arenas were like, ‘woah, we don’t want this stuff in our arena.’
“So we had a hard time finding venues, and Trump literally called us. He said ‘Come to my place, do the event here. We’ll have you at the Trump Taj Mahal’.
“He showed up for the first fight, and was their to the last fight, both times we went there.
“Everything that happened to my in my career that happened from there on out, he would pick up the phone and congratulate me.”
The UFC also shared the video of Trump announcing he would like to hold a UFC event at the White House. The promotion asked fans who they would like to see headline the fight card.
One fighter, who would like to compete is former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, who wrote on social media, “Happy 4th of July, USA. Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!”
The UFC is on a break this weekend. The promotion returns to action on Saturday, July 12 for the UFC Nashville fight card at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
