President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a very unusual plan for the nation’s 250th anniversary next year: a mixed-martial arts fight on the grounds of the White House with up to 25,000 spectators in attendance.
“We’re gonna have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House,” he said. “We have a lot of land there, we’re gonna build a little ― we’re not, Dana’s gonna do it, Dana’s great, one of a kind.”
He was referring to Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, aka UFC.
The two have been close for years, with White endorsing Trump and speaking on his behalf at the Republican National Convention in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Last year, Trump suggested that White “set up a migrant league of fighters,” with the migrant champion battling the UFC champion.
White later said that was a joke.
“But yeah, he did say it,” he confirmed at a UFC event.
Trump did not unveil details of the event, so it’s not clear what kind of event space or structure would be built for an audience of up to 25,000, but that number is higher than the capacity of any NBA arena.
Madison Square Garden in New York, for example, can hold roughly 20,000 spectators.
While it would likely be the first commercial fight at the White House, it wouldn’t be the first fight of any kind: President Theodore Roosevelt boxed for fitness, and had a ring set up in the White House for sparring sessions with military aides.
Roosevelt was once hit so hard that one eye was permanently damaged.
Trump’s critics said hosting a major UFC event in front of a massive audience would be beneath the dignity of the White House ― and more than a few said it was something straight from the 2006 dystopian comedy “Idiocracy.”
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