White House cage fight? UFC boss Dana White says it's happening in 2026

Global News

19 hours ago

An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on the White House grounds will be taking place on July 4, 2026, according to UFC CEO and president Dana White.
'It is definitely going to happen,' White told CBS Mornings on Aug. 12, saying Independence Day is the proposed date as of now.
White said that he spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday about the event, planned for America's 250th birthday. He also said that he plans to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, at the end of August to finalize details and review venue renderings.
'When he (Trump) called me and asked me to do it, he said, 'I want Ivanka in the middle of this,'' White said. '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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White also told The Associated Press that the event is 'absolutely going to happen' at the presidential home in Washington, D.C., next summer
'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,' he said.
The UFC boss noted it was still too early to discuss a potential main event for the White House fight night.
'This is a one-of-one event,' White added.
Trump previously said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
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'Every one of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250,' Trump said. 'And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House.'
'Championship fight — full fight,' he added.
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Trump announces UFC event to be held at the White House
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor, who visited the White House on St. Patrick's Day, previously volunteered to take part in the match.
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'Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House,' he wrote on July 4. 'I would be honoured! Count me in!'
Happy 4th of July, USA. 🇺🇸
Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House.
I would be honoured! Count me in! 🤩☘️
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 4, 2025
The plans for the first-ever UFC fight at the White House were shared hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, making the streaming service the new home to UFC events across the U.S. next year, through a seven-year agreement.
Under the deal with UFC, Paramount will exclusively distribute UFC's full lineup of its 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights on its streaming platform Paramount+ — with select numbered events also set to simulcast on CBS — starting in 2026.
It's a shift away from the UFC's existing pay-per-view model, which Paramount and TKO Group say will allow the mixed martial arts programming to reach more consumers nationwide.
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White said in a post on the social media platform X that the deal with Paramount will make it more affordable and accessible for U.S. consumers to watch UFC events.
'This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world,' he wrote. 'The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.'
— With files from The Associated Press