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President Donald Trump confirmed in an interview with boxer Jake Paul this week that he will attend the historic UFC event in Washington, DC, timed for the president's 80th birthday as part of the America 250 celebration.
Trump, a longtime supporter of the UFC, spoke about the highly anticipated event scheduled to take place on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14 and will feature two championship fights.
President-elect Donald Trump looks on during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, on November 16, 2024. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“I will do that,” Trump responded when Paul asked him if he would be at the event, which has been dubbed UFC Freedom 250. “It's going to be amazing at the White House. And Dana [White] He's a great guy. He's a good fan of yours, you know? Dana is a good guy. The best. I mean, there's no one like him.”
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Trump also talked about the card, which was released days earlier and includes Ilia Topuria facing Justin Gaethje for the UFC World Lightweight Championship and Alex Pereira facing Ciryl Gane for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship.
“[White] He had the idea of mounting it right at the front door of the White House. We will be right at the front door of the White House. And he has a tremendous menu. I don't even know if it's complete, but I just watched it and it looks like it's going to be all the best ones. Everyone wants to fight in the White House. It will be in honor of the 250th anniversary. “It will be great.”
People hold a flag as President Donald Trump arrives at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The card also includes Sean O'Malley faces Aiemann Zahabi, Michael Chandler faces Mauricio Ruffy, Kyle Daukaus faces Bo Nickal and Steve Garcia faces Diego Lopes.
DANA WHITE DISMISSES NOTION THAT UFC WHITE HOUSE EVENT WILL BE 'TOO POLITICAL': 'IT'S A HISTORY-MAKING EVENT'
White said Thursday that the UFC plans to offer 85,000 free tickets to the outdoor viewing area at the Ellipse in Washington, DC. South Lawn tickets will not be sold, but will be given away to members of the military. ESPN reported.
Despite Trump's location and presence, White has dismissed the idea that the event is “too political.”
“I mean, I don't know how it would be too political if it wasn't in the White House,” he said in January during an interview with Bloomberg. “Listen, if you look back throughout history, I think [former President] George Bush was a great baseball fan, [former President Barack] Obama was an NBA fan and Trump is a UFC fan. “I don't think any of those guys, being fans, made any sport too political.”
UFC President Dana White and former United States President Donald Trump attend the UFC 296 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
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The UFC event is just one of many events Trump has planned for America's 250th birthday celebration. Last month, it was announced that an IndyCar race will be held in August and that fans will be able to come and watch it for free.
Fox News Digital's Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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