UFC boss says cage fight at White House is ‘going to happen’

The UFC Mixed Martial Arts League has had quite a week

Less than 24 hours after announcing a $1.1 billion media rights deal with Paramount

UFC boss Dana White says a cage match on the White House lawn is going to happen July 4th of 2026

White will visit with President Donald Trump at the White House at the end of August

to discuss details of the plan, which will involve the president's daughter, Ivanka

When he called me and asked me to do it, he said, I want Ivanka in the middle of this

So Ivanka reached out to me and her and I started talking about the possibilities, where it would be

And, you know, I put together all the renderings. I'm flying out there at the end of the month and going to sit down with those two and start figuring it out

The event will be the first professional sporting event hosted at the White House

though there have been many recreational events and championship celebrations. Trump, a longtime friend of White's, said in July that he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds

with upwards of 25,000 spectators to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday. The confirmation of the fight card at the White House comes less than 24 hours after the MMA company announced a seven streaming deal with Paramount Plus worth billion a year The White House event will be

one of at least four major events simulcast on CBS in 2026. White explained the move away from

pay-per-view in an interview with CBS Sports. Live sports is so important because you have to tune in

and watch it when it happens. And if you look at the moves they're making right now and the content

that they have, they just locked up South Park. They have Yellowstone, Mobland, which is a big hit

Tulsa King, and the list goes on and on. So not only if you're a UFC fan, you get away from the

pay-per-view model. Now you just pay, you know, $12 or $13 a month, whatever it is, and you get all

this other programming. President Trump has recently been cage-side for several UFC fights

including an appearance immediately after the 2024 election and another last month alongside

White for two championship fights in New Jersey. White said it's too early to say which fighters

will compete at the White House, but he said everyone wants to be on this card. After the

president suggested the fight in July, UFC legend Conor McGregor said he would be honored to come

out of his four-year retirement to participate. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis