During an event held on Thursday night in Iowa to celebrate the approval of his “big and beautiful law” that will add 3.3 trillion dollars to the U.S. fiscal deficit, Donald Trump announced that in 2026 an event by the organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will take place at the White House.
The battles will be part of the commemoration for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.
Why does Trump want to host a UFC event at the White House?
“Does anyone watch UFC? The great Dana White? We are going to have a UFC fight. We are going to have a UFC fight. Think about this: on the grounds of the White House,” Trump declared in front of a crowd gathered in Des Moines.
The president assured that a special infrastructure will be built for the event, although he clarified that it will be White’s responsibility. “We have a lot of land there. We are going to have a UFC fight, a championship fight, a full fight,” he explained, adding that an attendance of between 20,000 and 25,000 people is expected.
However, Trump did not specify what security measures could be taken for such a large crowd in one of the most important places in the world.
The President of the United States also pointed out that the fight will be part of a broader schedule of activities to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. “We will have amazing events, some professional, others amateur,” he commented from the stage, suggesting that there will be a variety of sports and cultural activities.
The official confirmation of the event came shortly after from Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary. Through a post on the social network X, she wrote: "It’s going to be EPIC!“, thus validating the president’s words.
The announcement of the UFC fight at the White House represents an unprecedented initiative in the country’s history, combining sports, politics, and entertainment at the very heart of the US executive power.
This is not the first time that Trump has commercially used his discretion. Recently, he used one of the gardens for a commercial event in support of the electric car brand Tesla and its then ally Elon Musk.
A bond of over two decades with the UFC
The connection between Donald Trump and the UFC is not new. The president has attended multiple events of this mixed martial arts organization, including his presence at UFC 316, which took place last month in Newark, New Jersey. At that event, he was photographed sitting next to Dana White, the company’s president.
The relationship between Trump and White dates back to the early 2000s. In 2001, the real estate businessman offered his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City as a venue for a UFC fight, at a time when White was struggling to secure locations for his shows.
Since then, White has remained a staunch political ally of Trump. He supported his first presidential campaign in 2016 and has been a key public figure in his circle. After the failed assassination attempt against Trump last year, White reiterated his support, describing the president as “a tough guy” and “the authentic, supreme, and ultimate tough American guy of all time.”
White has also been the center of several controversies. In late 2022, in Mexico, he fought with his wife, hitting her with a slap, causing a big scandal.