The United States will mark its 250th Birthday on July 4, 2026, with an unprecedented event — a UFC Fight Night staged at the White House. UFC chief executive Dana White confirmed the plan, revealing he had spoken with US President Donald Trump about the idea on Monday night. White added that he will meet Trump and his daughter Ivanka later this month to finalise details.
“It is definitely going to happen,” White told CBS. “Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House South Lawn live on CBS.”
According to CBS, a source familiar with the arrangements said the White House fully expects the event to take place. White recounted: “When he called me and asked me to do it, he said, ‘I want Ivanka in the middle of this.’ So Ivanka reached out to me, and her and I started talking about the possibilities, where it would be and, you know, I put together all the renderings.”
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The announcement follows remarks Trump made last month expressing interest in bringing the UFC to the White House grounds. “We have a lot of land there,” said Trump, a longtime mixed martial arts fan. “Think of this on the grounds of the White House,” he said, according to ESPN, adding that it would be a “full fight” with space for 20,000 to 25,000 spectators.
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor, who last competed in July 2021, publicly responded to Trump’s idea at the time, writing on social media: “Count me in!”
White’s confirmation also comes soon after the UFC signed a major seven-year streaming agreement with Paramount, reportedly worth an average of $1.1 billion per year.
Not just MMA but Trump also has old links with WWE, which falls under the TKO Group that also owns UFC. He hosted WrestleMania IV and V, and participated in the Battle of the Billionaires against ex-chairman Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23. He is also the first and only WWE Hall of Famer to become the US President.
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