UFC CEO Dana White has officially confirmed that the White House event in June has an early draft for the fight card.
Speaking in a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith, White revealed that the promotion’s production and operations teams have already completed their initial walkthroughs of the location. The event marks the first professional mixed martial arts event ever held on the grounds of the White House.
According to White, the internal gears of the UFC are already grinding to prepare for the unprecedented broadcast. The head of production and operational leaders have met with the President’s team to ensure the South Lawn can accommodate the requirements of a UFC production.
White noted that the President has personally signed off on the specific placement and flow of the event, which is currently targeted for June 14, 2026—a date that coincides with Flag Day and the President’s 80th birthday.
“It’s done. So we literally just did my head of production went over there, my ops people went there, went through everything with the President’s team. Then the President signed off on everything and where it goes. So I have Zufa Boxing on the 23rd of this month. The 24th is UFC, and as soon as those two fights are over, I start working on the White House fight,“ White said.
Ari Emanuel, CEO of TKO Group Holdings, has indicated that capacity will be strictly limited to 3,000-4,000 attendees, primarily due to the venue’s unique security constraints. To accommodate the wider fanbase, the UFC reportedly plans to set up viewing screens at The Ellipse, potentially allowing tens of thousands of additional spectators to witness the fights in the surrounding area.
The cost of the event is expected to be significant, with the promotion projecting expenses that could exceed the $21 million spent on the UFC 306 show at the Sphere. This undertaking comes at a time of corporate growth for the UFC. In August 2025, the promotion finalized a seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount and CBS.
This agreement, which officially took effect at the beginning of 2026, has changed how fans consume the product by eliminating the traditional pay-per-view model. All 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Nights are now streamed via Paramount+.
