Will UFC Freedom 250 Happen Again at the White House? Here's What Dana White Has To Say

On Sunday Night, UFC Freedom 250 took place at the White House, with President Donald Trump in attendance. And according to UFC CEO Dana White, the event was a huge success.

"This event was for America's 250th birthday. There was no political agenda," White said at his press conference following the fights. "I believe that if you are an American, no matter where you sit politically, tonight was just a proud night."

However, he doesn't plan on it ever happening at this location again. Specifically, White was asked whether the President might want to "do it again next year."

"I can't afford it," he replied. "There's no (expletive) way we can do this again … We'll never do this again."

He expressed similar sentiments after the UFC became the first sporting event at the Sphere in Las Vegas in 2024.

But, because of the event's success, White and Trump do have a little something up their sleeve as they are "talking about doing a fight for the troops" next year.

Numerous fights took place on the lawn of the White House, but the biggest was when American Justin Gaethje was crowned the new lightweight champion after taking down Ilia Topuria, which commentator Joe Rogan called "one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport."

And with that, White said he estimated that around 200,000 people were there for the two-day fan fest. But the event almost didn't happen after an emergency injunction application was filed that attempted to stop UFC Freedom 250, ESPN previously reported. However, Judge Amit P. Mehta in the federal district court in the District of Columbia denied the injunction.

"The court rightly rejected an untimely and frivolous effort to halt the historic UFC event hosted to honor the 250th anniversary of our Nation," White House spokesman Davis Ingle wrote in a statement to ESPN. "The White House is thankful for this correct decision and looks forward to hosting this once-in-a-lifetime celebration on the South Lawn."

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 7:16 AM.