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An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) occasion on the White House grounds can be going down on July 4, 2026, in accordance with UFC CEO and president Dana White.
“It is definitely going to happen,” White instructed CBS Mornings on Aug. 12, saying Independence Day is the proposed date as of now.
White stated that he spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday concerning the occasion, deliberate for America’s 250th birthday. He additionally stated that he plans to satisfy with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, on the finish of August to finalize particulars and overview venue renderings.
“When he (Trump) called me and asked me to do it, he said, ‘I want Ivanka in the middle of this,’” White stated. “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.”
White additionally instructed The Associated Press that the occasion is “absolutely going to happen” on the presidential residence in Washington, D.C., subsequent summer time
“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 stated.
The UFC boss famous it was nonetheless too early to debate a possible principal occasion for the White House combat evening.
“This is a one-of-one event,” White added.
Trump beforehand stated final month he wished to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to have fun 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 stated. “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.
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor, who visited the White House on St. Patrick’s Day, beforehand volunteered to participate within the match.
“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!”
The plans for the first-ever UFC combat on the White House had been shared hours after Paramount and UFC introduced a billion-dollar rights deal, making the streaming service the brand new residence to UFC occasions throughout the U.S. subsequent yr, by way of a seven-year settlement.
Under the cope with UFC, Paramount will completely distribute UFC’s full lineup of its 13 marquee numbered occasions and 30 Fight Nights on its streaming platform Paramount+ — with choose numbered occasions additionally set to simulcast on CBS — beginning in 2026.
It’s a shift away from the UFC’s current pay-per-view mannequin, which Paramount and TKO Group say will permit the combined martial arts programming to achieve extra shoppers nationwide.
White stated in a put up on the social media platform X that the cope with Paramount will make it extra inexpensive and accessible for U.S. shoppers to observe UFC occasions.
“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 information from The Associated Press
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