President Donald Trump said on July 3 that the White House could host an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event next year as part of celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence.
Trump told supporters at a “Salute to America” event in Des Moines, Iowa, that the federal government plans to mark the occasion with a year’s worth of events, adding that “every one of our national park battlefields and historic sites” would host special events to mark the anniversary.
“I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said. “We’re going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. We’re going to build a little, we’re not, Dana’s going to do it. Dana’s great. One of a kind.”
UFC President Dana White is a close friend of Trump.
Trump added that the event at the White House would be a “UFC fight, championship fight, full fight,” with between 20,000 and 25,000 people in attendance.
The president said there would also be other professional and amateur events held over the next year to mark the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding on July 4, 2026, including a youth sporting event dubbed the “Patriot Games” which he said will feature top high school athletes from all 50 states.
“It’s going to be great,” Trump said, without providing additional details.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the planned UFC event in a statement on the social media platform, X, writing, “It’s going to be epic!”
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Trump, who is known in the mixed martial arts world as the “Combatant in Chief,” has been a regular attendee at UFC fights, most recently attending one in New Jersey in June.
In 2001, he hosted the mixed martial arts events “UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk” and “UFC 31: Locked and Loaded” at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which has since closed.
He also celebrated his election victory in November by attending a UFC event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Trump’s speech in Des Moines “signals the beginning of an extraordinary year ahead,” according to a statement from the America 250 Commission. The commission was established by Congress in 2016 to “plan and orchestrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” according to its website.
The statement adds that all of the America250’s initiatives and programs that will take place over the next year are “designed to engage communities nationwide, creating lasting memories and a renewed commitment to America’s future.”
Trump said other celebrations will include “the great American State Fair” which will “bring America250 programming for fairgrounds across the country, culminating in a giant patriotic festival next summer on the National Mall, featuring exhibits from all 50 states.”
The Epoch Times has contacted the White House and a spokesperson for the UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, for further comment
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