DES MOINES, Iowa — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is thinking of staging a UFC match on the White House grounds with upward of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
“We have a lot of land there,” said Trump, a UFC enthusiast who has attended several mixed martial arts events in recent months and is close friends with UFC president Dana White.
Trump addressed his plan in Iowa during the kickoff for a year’s worth of festivities to celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
The Republican president also announced a culminating festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and a separate athletic competition featuring high school athletes from across the country.
“So every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250. And I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said.
″Think of this on the grounds of the White House,” he said, adding that it would be a “full fight” with 20,000 to 25,000 people.
A White House spokesperson said they had no details to share beyond the president’s announcement, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Trump was “dead serious” about those plans.
Trump has recently enjoyed standing ovations and cageside seats for several UFC fights, including an appearance immediately after his 2024 reelection and another last month alongside White for two championship fights.