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UFC CEO Dana White has built even more intrigue around a potential fight card at the White House next year.
White predicted he will have “the greatest fight card ever assembled” for the June 2026 event that could take place on the White House lawn.
“If you look at what we’re looking down the barrel of now, we’re about to go on a new network on Paramount. We need to deliver a massive, incredible card in January,” White said after UFC 320 on Saturday night, per Yahoo Sports. “Then in February, we’ll start looking at building the White House card, which I will right now tell you will be the greatest fight card ever assembled in the history of, at least, definitely this company.”
While White has addressed many questions about the first-of-its-kind destination, he said the idea is still in the preliminary stages.
“We’re still talking about the production and how everything’s gonna work at the White House,” he said. “We have not started negotiating any fights for the White House yet.”
UFC will move exclusively to Paramount in January after a $7.7 billion deal to leave ESPN, where it has aired for many years.
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White added that superstar fighters have been lobbying to be part of the White House card, though no negotiations have begun.
Among them is Conor McGregor, but White tempered expectations for his long-awaited return to the octagon.
“I made it clear Conor wants to fight on that card, and you can clearly see Conor is very fired up to fight on that card,” White said. “But nothing is done yet, and no fights are being negotiated with the White House.”
The UFC event is expected to be part of the United States’ 250th birthday celebration. White previously said it was President Donald Trump’s idea to host the fight at his residence in Washington, D.C.
“I didn’t ask – he brought it up to me,” White said on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast last month.
“When you walk around the White House with him, he’s so proud of the White House, and he loves it so much and he loves America. He believes that the White House belongs to the people of America,” White continued. “He wants to do more things like kids coming in doing Easter egg hunts, things around Christmas and special events. … That’s his thing. He wants to bring more Americans to the White House. His thing was, ‘This is your house.’ I was lucky he said, ‘We should do a fight here.’”
White also confirmed a rumor that fighters would walk out of the Oval Office before entering the octagon.
“This is a one-in-one, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will never happen again,” White added.
White and Trump have been friends for years, with Trump attending numerous UFC fights. White also spoke at the Republican National Convention when Trump first ran for president nearly a decade ago.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that weigh-ins will take place at the Lincoln Memorial. The event was initially planned for July 4, but logistical issues have pushed it to June, according to the report.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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