Trump planning UFC fight at White House for US 250th anniversary

Nandita Bose, Reuters

US president Donald Trump said he is planning to bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to the White House next year to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence.

Known in the mixed martial arts world as the "combatant in chief," Trump counts UFC president Dana White as a close friend and considers fans of the sport part of his political base.

Trump made the announcement during a winding speech that ricocheted from topic to topic at the Iowa state fairgrounds. The event served as a prelude to July 4th Independence Day celebrations on Friday.

Trump said: "Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We're going to have a UFC fight. 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.

"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 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," he said, referring to the country's anniversary of independence.

Trump has attended numerous UFC events, including UFC 314 at Miami in April, when he sat with White.

On the last night of the 2024 Republican National Convention, White made the introduction when the once and future president accepted his party's nomination.

Trump said Thursday, "Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America250."

UFC and its parent company TKO Group Holdings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.