President Donald Trump revealed that a much-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout will take place on the grounds of the White House next year – coincidentally on June 14, his 80th birthday.
“On June 14 next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House – right at the White House, on the grounds of the White House,” Trump told a crowd of Navy sailors at the massive Norfolk naval base in Virginia.
Trump did not explicitly mention that the date marks his milestone birthday. Last year, on his 79th birthday, he marked the occasion with a military parade intended to commemorate the founding of the U.S. Army.
In August, UFC president Dana White said the mixed martial arts bout at the White House would be held on July 4 next year, the day the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding.
Trump has been a regular guest at the often-bloody UFC contests, where fighters punch, kick, and grapple with their opponent in a no-holds-barred battle to submission or knockout.
Bringing the brutal combat sport to the center of U.S. political power will mark a historic first.
At a press conference shared on UFC’s YouTube channel, White said that early next year, “we’ll start looking at building the White House card, which I will right now tell you will be the greatest fight card ever assembled in the history of definitely this company.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest and most successful organization in the burgeoning world of mixed martial arts, a blend of martial arts disciplines including jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, and wrestling.
Bouts take place in an eight-sided ring – dubbed “The Octagon” – bounded by a chain-link fence.
With few exceptions, such as eye-gouging, male and female fighters are allowed to employ almost any technique to attack their opponent.
The sport’s popularity with young men – a key demographic in the 2024 U.S. election – and Trump’s long association with the UFC have made the former president a regular fixture at some of its more high-profile events, where he is greeted like a rock star.
Its brutal nature and high injury rate make the sport controversial, with doctors decrying the potential for brain damage among fighters who are repeatedly hit in the head, though it has gained increasing mainstream acceptance in recent years.
