A UFC fight at the White House looks primed to take place on the Fourth of July next year.
“It’s absolutely going to happen,” UFC CEO and President Dana White told The Associated Press in a story published Aug. 12.
White’s comments come on the heels of a billion-dollar deal to bring UFC to CBS that was announced on Monday, Aug. 11. The agreement will give CBS and streaming service Paramount+ exclusive rights to broadcast 30 UFC Fight Nights and 13 marquee events each year beginning 2026, which could include the Fourth of July brawl at the White House.
“Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS,’ White told the AP.
White is scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to discuss plans for the fight, the AP reported.
The deal between UFC and CBS was announced just days after the network and Skydance officially closed an $8 billion merger and doubles the annual value of UFC’s current U.S. rights deal with ESPN+, according to reporting from Sportico. The deal also signals the end of the existing pay-per-view model currently utilized by the UFC.
Trump floated idea of UFC fight at White House this past 4th of July
Trump first floated the idea of having a UFC fight on White House grounds on this past Fourth of July.
‘Every one of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250,’ Trump said. ‘And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House.’
‘Championship fight − full fight,’ he added.
Trump, no stranger to the mixed martial arts scene, has attended multiple events in the past, including UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden after winning the 2024 presidential election. White also introduced Trump on the stage on the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The first UFC fight held under the ownership of White and his partners was held at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Trump ‘gave us our start when nobody would talk to us,’ White told Fox News in 2018.
Trump’s White House staff has ties to the mixed martial arts organization. After his campaign win in November 2024, Trump named Steven Cheung, a former UFC spokesperson, as the White House communications director.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.