Trump Pushes White House UFC Card for 2026; McGregor, Jones Offer to Fight

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Updated Jul 6, 2025, 11:04 PM

President Donald Trump said at a rally in Iowa that he wants the Ultimate Fighting Championship to stage a mixed-martial-arts card on the White House lawn on 4 July 2026, the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. Trump estimated the outdoor event could accommodate 20,000 to 25,000 spectators and indicated he is working with UFC chief executive Dana White.

The announcement has drawn immediate interest from some of the sport’s biggest names. Former two-division champion Conor McGregor wrote that he would be "honoured" to fight at the White House. Ex-heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones, who retired in June, said he has re-entered the anti-doping testing pool to keep his options open for the proposed card.

Rival promoter Professional Fighters League responded by offering to stage its own afternoon program before the UFC show. PFL founder Donn Davis proposed a seven-bout lineup headlined by former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou against Vadim Nemkov and featuring a women’s clash between Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco.

Neither the UFC nor the White House has confirmed that a permit has been secured, and holding a full-scale fight card outdoors would mark a departure from the UFC’s usual arena settings. Still, Trump’s long-standing relationship with Dana White and the quick buy-in from prominent fighters suggest the idea is gaining traction as planning for the 2026 celebrations begins.

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