---
title: "Trump planning UFC fight at White House for US 250th anniversary"
description: "US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is planning to bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to the White House next year to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-04-trump-planning-ufc-fight-at-white-house-for-us-250th-anniversary/"
published: "2025-07-04T04:46:40"
updated: "2025-07-04T04:46:42"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 197
---

# Trump planning UFC fight at White House for US 250th anniversary

> US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is planning to bring an Ultimate Fighting Championship event to the White House next year to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence.

By Reuters · Published 4 July 2025, 06:46 SAST · Updated 4 July 2025, 06:46 SAST

## Key points
- In a speech that meandered more than a drunken octopus, Trump teased the prospect of hosting a UFC championship fight on the White House lawn, proving once again that when it comes to blending politics and sports, he’s always ready to throw a punch—or at least a party.
- Trump, dubbed the "Combatant in Chief," aims to host a UFC fight at the White House, leveraging his ties to UFC President Dana White.
- The announcement came during a meandering speech at the Iowa state fairgrounds ahead of July 4 celebrations.
- He envisions a large-scale championship event with 20,000-25,000 attendees as part of the Independence Day festivities.
- Trump, a frequent UFC attendee, did not receive immediate comment from UFC or its parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

## Content

Known in the mixed martial arts world as the "Combatant in Chief," Trump counts UFC President Dana White as a close friend and considers fans of the sport part of his political base.

Trump made the announcement during a winding speech that ricocheted from topic to topic at the Iowa state fairgrounds. The fairgrounds event served as a prelude to July 4 Independence Day celebrations on Friday.

"We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House," Trump said.

"We have a lot of land there. We are going to build a little - we are not, Dana (White) is going to do it ... we are going to have a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20-25,000 people, and we are going to do that as part of 250 also," he said, referring to the country's anniversary of independence.

Trump has been a regular attendee at UFC fights, most recently attending one in New Jersey in June.

UFC and its parent company TKO Group Holdings TKO.N did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Kanishka Singh and Steve Holland; Editing by Tom Hogue)