{"id":719097,"date":"2026-06-06T13:54:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/719097\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T13:54:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:54:09","slug":"trump-effect-the-rock-adam-sandler-pass-on-ufc-white-house-invitation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/719097\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Effect? The Rock, Adam Sandler Pass On UFC White House Invitation"},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC\u2019s upcoming event on the White House South Lawn is being called one of the greatest combat sports showcases of all-time, but it\u2019s still not important enough to attract the interest of some high-ranking celebrities.<\/p>\n

While UFC\u2019s White House card<\/a> is arguably the coolest concept on paper it doesn\u2019t come without issue. One of the biggest problems with hosting a seven-fight mixed martial arts (MMA) card on the White House lawn are the outdoor elements. UFC has constructed \u201cThe Claw\u201d \u2014 which is a massive lighting and production structure<\/a> taller than the White House itself \u2014 in an attempt to help create a real fight atmosphere, but that\u2019s not all that needs to be done. Next weekend\u2019s card could also present UFC with a serious bug and weather issue<\/a>. One that could be problematic enough to send any celebrity packing.<\/p>\n

The second biggest issue surrounding UFC\u2019s impending White House card are the politics surrounding the event. Whether it\u2019s President Donald Trump\u2019s affiliations and policies, the ongoing war in Iran, or the patriotic symbolism of the White House itself, many believe now is not the right time to stage a massive event on the South Lawn. Even some of the most high-profile fighters on the UFC roster today have spoken out in protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It now appears some top celebrity names are deciding to stay away from the event all together. This includes the likes of long-standing UFC fans such as Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson, Adam Sandler, Jared Leto and Mario Lopez. According to Vanity Fair<\/a>, all four celebrities were invited to the White House card, but have since turned it down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe event is a real draw for folks looking to curry favor in Trump\u2019s Washington and for DC\u2019s MAGA crowd, which has delighted in the construction of a giant light fixture called \u201cThe Claw\u201d that now towers above the White House,\u201c wrote Vanity Fair\u2019s Aidan McLaughlin. \u201cBut there is one group that may well steer clear of the event: major celebrities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UFC\u2019s upcoming event on the White House South Lawn is being called one of the greatest combat sports…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":719098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,40762,785,85,1396,179146,125620],"class_list":["post-719097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-latest-ufc-mma-news","tag-mma","tag-sports","tag-ufc-news","tag-ufc-on-paramount","tag-ufc-white-house-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/719098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}