President Donald Trump wants Dana White to build a UFC Octagon on the White House lawn.
The UFC has been to many places since its inception in 1993. From its debut show in Denver, Colorado, to its recent arrival in countries like Azerbaijan, Las Vegas is the most frequent stop for the premier promotion, whether that’s T-Mobile Arena or its cost-effective UFC Apex.
‘Sphere’ opened its doors for the UFC last year at Noche UFC or UFC 306, unraveling new possibilities on where the UFC could go. The Las Vegas Sphere was the UFC’s most expensive venue for an event, incurring over $20M in production costs.
Heading into the second half of 2025, it looks like the White House has just opened up as a venue for a UFC fight.
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President Donald Trump says UFC event is coming to the White House
Longtime friends with UFC CEO Dana White, Donald Trump has been a fan of MMA for years. The president even ran his own promotion for a time.
Less than a month after attending UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, President Trump has announced the White House will play host to a UFC event. It’s likely to go down a year from now, July 4th, 2026, to commemorate the United States’ 250th birthday.
“We’re gonna have a UFC fight,” Trump said during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday.
“Think of this on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. We’re gonna build a little, we’re not, Dana’s gonna do it…
“Dana is great,” Trump said of the UFC boss.
“One of a kind. Gonna have a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like, 25,000 people.
“We’re gonna do that as part of 250 also. We’re gonna have some incredible events, some professional events, some amateur events, but the UFC fight’s gonna be a big deal,” Trump said.
There is only one American champion in the UFC right now
In 2016, the same year Donald Trump first became president, there were 14 champions from the United States.
Nearly a decade later, there are currently no American champions in the men’s divisions after Jon Jones’ UFC retirement last month.
Ohio’s Kayla Harrison is the only American UFC champion left standing. A two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in judo and PFL lightweight champion, Harrison overcame a brutal weight cut and submitted Julianna Pena to win the women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 316.
Post-fight, Harrison secured a super-fight with the greatest female fighter of all time, Amanda Nunes, and made national headlines when she wrapped her UFC belt around President Trump cageside.
Perhaps the biggest fight in women’s MMA history, Harrison vs. Nunes could be a possibility for a UFC event at the White House.