Donald Trump predicts ‘eight or nine championship fights’ at UFC White House event

A fight card is being planned for June, with the cage apparently due to be set up on the South Lawn

Donald Trump has said the UFC is planning “eight or nine championship fights” for its proposed event at the White House this summer.

UFC president Dana White is a close friend of US president Trump, and the pair have been working on staging a fight card at the White House on 14 June – Mr Trump’s birthday.

Beyond the date, details have been somewhat scarce, but White previously revealed discussions around snipers and big screens, with Mr Trump now shedding some more light on what the event might look like.

“UFC on 14 June, it’s gonna be 14 June next year,” said Mr Trump at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday. “They’re building an arena, the great Dana White’s building an arena.

“And they’re gonna have eight or nine championship fights, the biggest fights they’ve ever had. Every one’s a championship fight, and everyone’s a legendary type of fighter.

“He’s actually holding back fights right now, for six months, so he can do it for 15 June,” Mr Trump continued, seemingly meaning 14 June. “I think [14] June’s gonna be amazing,” he went on.

“I think the arena’s gonna be 5,000 or 6,000 seats, right in front of the front door of the White House, and 100,000 people in the back, where they’re putting up eight or 10 very big screens. That’s gonna be an exciting night.”

US president Donald Trump (right) with his friend Dana White, president of the UFC (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The lawn in front of the White House’s main entrance is in fact the North Lawn, although White has said the UFC’s Octagon would be set up on the South Lawn.

Numerous fighters have thrown their names in the hat for a potential fight at the White House, including former champions Conor McGregor and Jon Jones. However, White has been coy on McGregor’s involvement, and he has suggested he could not trust Jones.

Jones is seen by many fans as the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time, but the American’s career has been marred by numerous failed drug tests and legal issues. The 38-year-old retired from MMA this summer, finally vacating the heavyweight title after holding up the division for many months, yet he has since said he would love to fight at the White House.

Meanwhile, McGregor has not fought since suffering a broken leg in 2021, and he is currently serving an anti-doping ban for whereabouts failures, with his suspension ending in March. Furthermore, the Irishman has had his own legal issues since then.

Conor McGregor (left) suffered a broken leg in his last fight, a 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier (Getty Images)

Last week, the Supreme Court rejected McGregor’s bid to appeal a civil case against him; last year, he was sued in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have “brutally raped and battered” a woman in 2018. The woman was awarded almost €250,000 (£214,994) in damages, and McGregor, 37, was also ordered to pay around €1.3m (£1.1m) in legal costs.

McGregor’s application to the Supreme Court was in relation to his cross-examination, during the trial, about “no comment” answers he gave in a Garda interview. In their determination last week, the Supreme Court judges said they were “satisfied that the applicant has had a fair hearing” and refused him leave to appeal. McGregor has always denied the allegations against him.