UFC President Dana White is planning to build the best fight card imaginable when the UFC heads to the White House in 2026.
Since Donald Trump announced his intention to host a UFC event at the White House as part of next year’s celebrations for America’s 250th birthday, social media has been flooded with fighters campaigning for a spot on the landmark card.
“I mean everybody wants to be on this card,” White said while speaking to reporters at the UFC Nashville post-fight press conference. “You don’t even have to know who’s blowing up my phone. You just see it all on the internet. But the fight’s a year away. The landscape will change a lot over the next year.”
Among those rumored to be in contention for the event are former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor and recently retired former heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who re-entered the UFC’s drug testing pool just 13 days after announcing his retirement.
“We wouldn’t even start building that card — it’s literally a year away from now,” White said. “It’s a year away. It’s not even worth talking about, who would be on the card. The entire MMA landscape will be different a year from now.”
The unique nature of the event is expected to make it one of the most memorable in UFC history. UFC President Dana White has promised that matchmakers will aim to stack the card with some of the biggest names on the roster to mark the historic occasion.
“It will be a pay-per-view card,” White said. “The best card we can possibly put together.”
Plans for the historic event are already taking shape, and UFC President Dana White recently offered a glimpse into what fans might expect. He also confirmed that he and his team are scheduled to meet with President Trump soon to begin ironing out the logistics for what promises to be a groundbreaking show.
“We’re going to be on the south lawn and literally when you’re watching the fight, this will all be the White House (signals to one side) and then behind me will be the Washington Monument,” White said.
“We’re just getting into the logistics now. My team have already walked the White House with the staff there. Now we’re putting together the design. We’ll all fly out to D.C. and sit down with him and see what he wants to do.”
