The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) plans to host a fight card in the grounds of the White House in Washington DC.
NBC said President Donald Trump has said he would like it to happen as part of a celebration honoring America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
Trump said, “We’re going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.
“Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250. And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight.”
He said he expects the card to include a title fight in front of 20,000 to 25,000 people.
Trump is close friends with UFC President Dana White, who has appeared at his campaign rallies. Immediately after winning the 2024 election, Trump brought White onstage to thank him for his efforts in helping him get re-elected.
Trump has long ties to combat sports. Dating back to the 1980s, he hosted several marquee boxing matches at his hotels in Atlantic City and has often been seen at UFC matches.
Trump’s links to UFC date back more than 20 years. In 2001, he hosted a UFC fight at Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City when White was struggling to find a venue.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings.
The largest MMA promotion in the world, the UFC has over 578 fighters contracted that fight across 11 weight divisions (eight men’s and three women’s).
NBC said it’s not clear how far along planning for the event is — or how definite it is that it will happen — and a UFC spokesperson said more details would be released “in due time.”
Former two-division champion Conor McGregor, who has not competed since July 2021, said on social media he is interested in returning for the White House event.
“I would be honoured,” he wrote. “Count me in!”
Days after reclaiming the White House last November, Trump — along with Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and future Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. — attended a pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden.
No professional sporting event has ever been contested on White House grounds, though there have been many recreational events, such as President John F. Kennedy playing touch football in front of the White House in 1962 and President Richard Nixon, an avid bowler, building a one-lane alley beneath the White House in 1973.
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