Trump Announces UFC Fight to Be Hosted on White House Ground

The White House will host a major UFC fight next year as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced.

Speaking to a crowd at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Thursday, Trump revealed that the historic event will take place on the grounds of the White House, drawing an audience of up to 25,000 people.

“Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight—think of this—on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there,” Trump told the cheering crowd.

The president, a longtime friend of UFC President Dana White, added: “We are going to have some incredible events, some professional events, some amateur events.”

The announcement was later confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who posted on X: “It’s going to be EPIC!”

Trump’s relationship with the UFC dates back over two decades. In 2001, when UFC was struggling to find venues, Trump hosted a fight at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, offering a lifeline to the sport. Since then, UFC president Dana White has remained one of Trump’s staunchest allies, publicly backing his presidential campaigns.

Following a failed assassination attempt on Trump last year, White called the former president a “tough guy” and “the legitimate, ultimate, American badass of all time.”

Trump suggested the UFC fight would be one of many high-profile events planned for America250 the nationwide celebrations marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

“Every one of our national parks, battlefields, and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America250,” he said.

Further details on the fight and other scheduled events are expected to be released in the coming months.

BBC