Dana White insists that the UFC will hold an event at the White House next year, even if it’s going to be a logistical nightmare to accomplish.
Last month, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, announced that next year the White House will host a special Independence Day event, with a UFC card taking place on the White House lawn. While the announcement was unexpected, it’s not completely out of nowhere as Trump is a fixture at UFC events and close friends with Dana White. But that doesn’t
mean the thing is going to be easy.
Speaking with reporters after the Contender Series on Tuesday, White addressed some lingering questions about the UFC White House card, admitting that they are barely in the planning stages for the event at this point.
“I’m flying out there the at the end of this month, the 28th, going to meet with him, show them all the renderings and the plans, see what he wants to do and doesn’t want to do, and then we’ll start from there,” White said. “But not even thinking about any of the fights [right now]. It’s still a year away.”
When the promotion does get around to booking the card, there will be no shortage of options. A number of the biggest stars in the sport immediately jumped at the chance to fight on the White House lawn, including Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.
But before White can even think about that, he and his team have to figure out how to actually pull off an event at the White House lawn. Setting aside the various security issues that would arise from hosting an event at one of the most famous buildings in the world, the White House is not built to host this sort of thing, leading to some serious logistical hurdles the UFC needs to clear.
“This is a different challenge in that I want to do it on the South Lawn and they have some weight issues,” White said. “The octagon is 25,000 pounds, so it’s going to be incredibly challenging. Then the weather, which I hate and said I would never do again after Abu Dhabi. I don’t give a shit if it snows, we’re going to be out on that South Lawn.”
The UFC White House show is tentatively scheduled for July 4, 2026, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.
