White House to host UFC event, says Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump says he plans to host a UFC event at the White House next year as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Speaking at a rally in Iowa, Trump said UFC president Dana White will build the event which will feature a “championship fight” in front of “20,000-25,000 people”.

“We’re going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.

Dana’s going to do it,” said Trump.

The UFC are yet to officially confirm the show but the promotion’s president White shared a video of Trump announcing the news on social media with the caption “this will be epic”.

The UFC’s Instagram account also shared the video, asking followers “who would you like to see headline the event?”

Trump is close friends with White, with the UFC chief becoming a key supporter during his 2024 election campaign.

He has attended a number of UFC shows during his two stints as president and was most recently at UFC 316 in New Jersey last month.

Trump’s speech in Iowa marked the first of a series of events to celebrate the anniversary of America’s signing of the Declaration of Independence.