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UFC CEO Dana White confirmed Tuesday that the organization will hold a live fight on the White House grounds on July 4, 2026, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Appearing on “CBS Mornings,” White said the event would be broadcast live from the White House.
“It is definitely going to happen,” he told the hosts. “July 4th, [the] 250th birthday of the USA. Live on CBS from the White House.”
White said the idea came at the request of President Donald Trump. “When [Trump] 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 … I started talking about the possibilities,” White said.
Trump first mentioned the idea earlier this month during a public address, where he announced that national parks and historic landmarks would host special events for the America250 celebration.
“I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” he said. “We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House.”
“We have a lot of land there,” Trump added. “We’re going to build a little — we’re not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind — going to be a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250’ also.”
Although the event is now confirmed, White said the fight card has yet to be finalized.
The announcement comes one day after the UFC finalized a $7.7 billion broadcasting deal with Paramount, expanding its global media reach.
“This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world,” UFC CEO Dana White posted on X. “The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.”
The deal also moves UFC from a pay-per-view model to a streaming service, allowing more fans to affordably access the sport.
“Paramount’s advantage lies in the expansive reach of our linear and streaming platforms,” David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, said in a statement. “Live sports continue to be a cornerstone of our broader strategy — driving engagement, subscriber growth, and long-term loyalty, and the addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win.”