A mixed martial arts fight card to be held next summer at the White House is “absolutely going to happen,” Ultimate Fight Championship Chief Executive Dana White said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
White said the UFC will stage the event July 4 to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. He added that he spoke to President Trump on Monday and is scheduled to meet with him and his daughter Ivanka in two weeks to solidify the plan.<\/p>\n
Trump mentioned last July 4 during a kickoff of events centered on the country’s 2026 birthday celebration that he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House South Lawn with 20,000 spectators.<\/p>\n
“We have a lot of land there,” said Trump, who has attended several UFC matches and considers White a friend.<\/p>\n
Now it has gone from a notion into the planning stages, which is the second thrill of the week for White. On Monday he announced that the UFC has finalized a seven-year streaming agreement with Paramount worth an average of $1.1 billion a year. The deal represents a departure from UFC’s traditional pay-per-view model.<\/p>\n
Thirteen marquee UFC events and 30 fight nights will be televised on the Paramount+ streaming platform, with some events also planned to simulcast on CBS. Plans for UFC events in other countries are also on the table, according to Paramount.<\/p>\n
“You have the NFL, the NBA, the UFC and soccer globally,” White told the Associated Press. “We’re coming. We’re coming for all of them.”<\/p>\n
White, 56, has been the driving force behind the enormous growth of the UFC, which he purchased in 2001 for $2 million. He negotiated broadcast-rights deals with Fox and ESPN, then spearheaded a $4 billion sale in 2016 to TKO Group Holdings, a group led by the Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG. White remained as president and retained a stake in the new company.<\/p>\n
The Paramount-UFC deal came on the heels of Skydance and Paramount closing their $8 billion merger \u2014 a complicated negotiation that resulted in the creation of an entertainment giant. White said he was impressed with Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison’s vision for UFC and how the plans could be activated now that Ellison is chairman and chief executive of Paramount.<\/p>\n
“Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy \u2014 driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty,” Ellison said in a statement. “The addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win.”<\/p>\n
The debut Paramount fight card is in the planning stages, with UFC officials meeting this week to arrange bouts. White said it is too early to discuss a main event for the White House card.<\/p>\n