UFC President Dana White says the promotion is entering the decisive phase of building what he calls a “one-of-one event”, a June 14 fight card staged on the South Lawn of the White House.
Speaking with CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell, White said formal matchmaking discussions will begin this week, with UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard flying in from Texas to help construct the lineup.
“We’re going to figure that all out this week,” White said. “I’m having Mick Maynard fly in. He lives in Texas, so he’s coming in and we’re going to have him here for a few days and we’re going to start hammering out this card.”
Interest from fighters, he added, has not been an issue.
“Almost every big name fighter” has publicly said, “‘I want on that card,’” White noted, describing the event as “something that will never happen again.”
While White declined to specify how many title fights the card might feature, or whether stars such as Jon Jones or Conor McGregor could be involved, he emphasized that the structure will match the scale of the setting.
Logistically, the groundwork is already complete. “We have this video rendering of what it looks like,” White said. “We literally have the trees that are in the South Lawn. We’ll know exactly where the sun is until it sets. So all the logistics are done.”
White made perhaps his boldest claim when discussing viewership expectations.
“We believe that this is going to be the most watched UFC event ever,” he said, despite milestone shows such as UFC 100, 200, 300 and the recent Sphere event in Las Vegas.
Beyond numbers, White framed the night as a career-defining moment. “This is going to be the most unique, amazing night of our entire careers,” he said, adding that fighters will be “walking from the Oval Office.”
“When we go to do something,” White said, “I like to deliver big.”
