Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is reportedly sparing no expense for its unprecedented, one-of-one White House event this summer.
According to Puck News, the promotion’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, could spend “as much as $60 million” to stage the event tentatively scheduled for Fri., June 26, 2026, on the South Lawn. The event is being positioned as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration — and the price tag reflects the scale.
For comparison, UFC 306 at Sphere in Las
Vegas reportedly cost around $21 million to produce. The White House show could triple that figure. UFC CEO Dana White has already revealed that between $700,000 and $1 million alone may be required to replace the South Lawn grass after the event.
President Donald Trump previously floated the idea of building a temporary stadium structure on-site to accommodate a massive crowd. However, Puck reports that those plans “are not remotely possible.”
The UFC head honcho has described a more controlled setup: approximately 3,000 to 4,000 invited guests cageside, with no public ticket sales, and a secondary viewing area at The Ellipse (President’s Park South), roughly a tenth of a mile away, where 85,000 fans could gather.
Renderings of the proposed layout have already surfaced, suggesting the promotion is moving forward with its large-scale outdoor production.
As for the fight card, White recently said the lineup is already “built,” with two options mapped out with 6-7 fights. One notable omission: Conor McGregor is not expected to be involved.
