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President Trump plans to host a UFC match at the White House to celebrate 250 years of American independence. The White House confirmed his seriousness.
US President Donald Trump has supported the UFC for a long time. (AP)
United States’ President, Donald Trump, mentioned on Thursday that he is considering hosting a UFC match on the White House grounds, with an audience of up to 20,000 spectators, to commemorate 250 years of American independence.
“We have a lot of land there,” said Trump, an avid UFC fan who has attended several mixed martial arts matches recently and shares a close friendship with Dana White, the organization’s president.
Trump revealed his plan in Iowa during the launch of a year-long series of events to celebrate America’s 250th Independence Day on July 4, 2026.
The Republican president also announced a grand festival on the National Mall in Washington, as well as a separate athletic event featuring high school athletes from across the nation.
“So every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250. And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said.
“Think of this on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there,” he added, noting that it would be a “full fight” with 20,000 to 25,000 attendees.
A White House spokesperson mentioned that they had no additional details beyond the president’s announcement. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that Trump was “dead serious” about these plans.
Trump and UFC love affair:
Trump has recently received standing ovations and cage-side seats at several UFC fights, including an appearance immediately after his 2024 reelection and another just last month at UFC 316, where he joined White for championship fights between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili for men’s bantamweight gold, and Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison for the women’s bantamweight championship.
At the same event, UFC fighter Kevin Holland defeated Vicente Luque in the first fight with Trump in attendance. Holland climbed the cage to shake hands with Trump and had a brief conversation with him and White before returning for his post-fight interview. The defending champion, Merab Dvalishvili, also spoke briefly with Trump.
White had previously hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic City. Trump has regularly attended UFC matches since then, including during his 2024 campaign. He often appears at fights with well-known entourages, including White, musician Kid Rock, and former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.
With AP Inputs
- Location :
Des Moines, IA (US)
- First Published:
