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Dana White Reveals Huge Update on UFC White House Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Binoy | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 12:46 PM ET

Dana White isn’t exactly known for thinking small if anything, the UFC boss has built his reputation on taking wild ideas and somehow making them reality. From staging fights on Fight Island to lighting up The Sphere in Vegas, White has made a career out of raising the bar for combat sports events.

Now, he’s aiming for perhaps his boldest venue yet: the White House lawn. The plan? A UFC card on July 4th, 2026, to mark America’s 250th birthday. While plenty of people have scoffed at the idea, calling it a long shot at best, White fresh off sealing a record-breaking $7.7 billion broadcast deal has a fresh update that might just quiet the doubters.

Dana White says the UFC White House event will be live on CBS on July 4th

“It is definitely gonna happen… July 4th. 250th birthday of the USA. Live on CBS from the White House.”

@CBSMornings pic.twitter.com/97yBN390Yj
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 12, 2025

While speaking on CBS Mornings, White was asked if his plan to host an event at the White House next year is still on. To this he replied saying, “It is definitely going to happen. I talked to him (Trump) last night I am going to fly out there at the end of this month and I am going to walk him through all the plans and all the renderings. We’re going to start deciding what he wants and what he does not want. But yeah, it’s definitely going to happen.”

How Did the Idea for UFC at the White House Come About?

Looks like the UFC’s most outrageous venue yet actually made it onto the calendar the White House lawn.

Just a day after President Donald Trump floated the idea, the UFC confirmed to NBC News that it was happening in 2026 as part of the America 250 celebrations for the country’s 250th birthday. Dana White couldn’t hide his excitement, calling it “epic” on Instagram, while Trump made it clear he was “dead serious” about packing 20,000 to 25,000 fans into a championship fight right in front of the White House.

Conor McGregor had already volunteered, saying he’d be “honoured” to be part of history. If it went ahead, it will be the first-ever pro sporting event at the White House and it will be a full-circle moment for Trump and White, whose friendship goes back to the UFC’s early, scrappier days. Together, they look set to deliver one of the wildest fight nights the sport has ever seen.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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