Trump to host UFC fight at White House

Telegraph

6 hours ago

The White House lawn is usually where Donald Trump delivers brutal slapdowns of his political opponents before the world's media.
Next year, it could become the political battleground could be transformed into a ring, with the world's top fighters facing off in an Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) championship bout to mark America's 250th birthday.
Mr Trump unveiled the plans at a rally in Iowa on Thursday, telling supporters the event would take place in front of up to 25,000 people.
'We're going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. Dana is going to do it,' Mr Trump said.
The UFC is yet to officially confirm any details of the event but Mr White, who supported the president during his re-election campaign last November, shared the news on X alongside the caption: 'This will be epic'.
The company's Instagram account also shared a video of Mr Trump's announcement, before asking fans who they would like to see fight at the White House.
Conor McGregor, who is credited with making the UFC a global sport, said he would be 'honoured' to star in the event.
'Count me in!' he posted on X after wishing Americans a happy 4th of July.
McGregor, who met Mr Trump at the White House on St Patrick's Day, has not fought in the UFC since breaking his leg in 2021, but periodically teases his return to the sport.
Colby Covington, a former interim champion, is also a big Trump supporter, and was frequently pictured wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat during the election.
Covington, who is from Florida, even blamed campaigning for Mr Trump for his loss to Joaquin Buckley in December.
Sean Strickland, a former Middleweight champion from Anaheim, California, is another vocal Trump supporter.
On Thursday, Strickland posted on X in response to a trans swimmer being stripped of their medals in response to a directive from Mr Trump: 'It went from William Thomas to Lia Thomas back to William Thomas...America is finally healing. LFG Trump'.
Neither the White House or the UFC have provided details on where exactly the fight would take place, but there are a few limited options.
One option is the Rose Garden, a smaller, more intimate outdoor space often used for presidential addresses or events. But the administration recently started work on paving over the grass in the Rose Garden, making it less likely.
More likely is a makeshift Octagon on the South Lawn, the largest open area on the White House grounds, covering three acres. It's often used for large events and state ceremonies, meaning it has the capacity to host large crowds.
At the centre of the UFC is White, who rescued the company from bankruptcy in the early 2000s and transformed it into a multi-billion dollar global enterprise.
At the time, Mr Trump was one of the few figures who offered White a platform, allowing events to be hosted at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City when others refused.
The two have been friends and political allies ever since.
White spoke at both the 2016 and 2020 Republican conventions, before appearing alongside Mr Trump's closest friends and family when he retook the White House in November.
Mr Trump is regularly treated as a guest of honour at the UFC, where he walks out alongside White to the roar of thousands of fans.
Over the past decade, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has evolved from a fringe combat league – once denounced by the late Republican senator John McCain as 'human cockfighting' – into one of America's most influential cultural platforms. It is a mixed-martial arts promotion in which a series of fights take place around the world, also known as fight nights. It calls itself the 'premier organisation in Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA)'.
The UFC is broadcast in over 170 countries, and reaches over 900 million households.
Perched behind Mr Trump in the front row you will often see some of his closest political allies including RFK Jr, the health secretary; Kash Patel, the FBI director; and Elon Musk, who until recently was a key figure in the administration and close friend of the president.
Hollywood stars and musicians are also staples at UFC events, including Chris Pratt, Jared Letto, Matt Damon and French footballer Kylian Mbappe.